


Little Hero Academia

by RoseGoldRabbit



Category: Little Witch Academia, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: A little OOC but it's for story purposes I swear, A lot of head cannon, Akko's actually somewhat compitent in this story, Alternate Universe - My Hero Academia, Angst, But only a little, F/F, F/M, Like, Lot's of fluff, M/M, Mabye a bit more but we'll see, Mabye but we'll see on that one as well, Not really slow burn but kinda, Romance, is this too many tags?, probably, probably no smut, very self indulgent, way to much fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-05-19 23:57:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 79,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19366246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseGoldRabbit/pseuds/RoseGoldRabbit
Summary: Akko is reckless and determined, a wonderful combination if you ask her! All she wants in life is to be like her idol, and the woman who saved her life, Shiny Chariot - The Shining Future Hero! But there's only one problem... Akko doesn't have a quirk.It's been twelve years since the incedent that would lead to her obsesion with Chariot, and she suffered through ten long years of triaing hell to reach the school of her dreams and her idol's Alma Mater, Luna Nova.But with a new environment brings new challenges. Will she be able to survive and acopmlish her dreams? Will she be able to gain the love and respect of her parents? Can she discover what happened to Chariot all those years ago? What will she do about the gorgeous blond who she has a crush on?Akko doesn't know all the answers. But she's determined enough to try and find out.Join Akko as she tries to survive with nothing but her intelligence, ingenuity, trianing, and a experimental suit that she built with her own hands.Hopefully everyone will get out alive.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So. I have to preface this story with a few notes before you start. First of all is that I'm not an author. The last thing I wrote was a good number of years ago and just for fun. This story is probably just going to be a whole bunch of my head cannons thrown together with a bunch of fluffy scenes. I might -see: most definitely- also steal a few scenes or ideas from my favorite fics as well and throw them in. Does it count as stealing if I say what stories they're from at the end of the chapters or does that make them homages? Well I'm goanna say they're homages because it makes me feel better about myself.
> 
> Second is that this story is purely for my own entertainment. I've wanted a story like this one for a long time and while I know that there are probably a whole lot of other My Hero/Little witch crossover, I haven't read any of them because they don't have Diakko. 
> 
> Third, Akko might be a little OOC for this story. It's not much, honestly it's very little and all of the changes are set up to work with her character ark so please don't hat me. I wanted to develope her as an interesting character but felt that I couldn't do it properly without change how she is at the start of the story. 
> 
> Fourth is that I don't really have a planned update schedule and the next chapter probably won't come out for a while as I want to stock pile chapters before I start posting in full. I don't have a set gaol for this fic but I do have a planed out story already.
> 
> There's more but I'll adress those in the future, for now enjoy.

**Prologue**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

   

Fire. That’s all she could see as she ran through the street. All she could smell. But it wasn’t all she could hear. No, here ears were filled with a cacophony of horrifying, blood curdling sounds at the moment. The roar of the flames surrounding her and filling the giant star shaped crater that had once been the center of Osaka. The screams of bystanders and heroes alike perforated the air. The horrifying shrieks of those creatures ringing throughout the already smothering sound of screams and flames. But most prominently, the pounding of her heart in her ears as she ran.

 

They had just been here visiting her grandmother... what had happened? 

 

She didn’t know and she didn’t care. Akko had only one thought on her usually hyperactive mind. **_“RUN.”_ ** She had lost her parents when the crowd suddenly started scrambling away from the explosion. It had rocked the buildings, even knocked a great deal of them down, and shaken the earth beneath their feet. It only got worse when the Villains arrived.

 

There were so many of them. And they weren’t like the ones Akko usually saw on tv. Those were usually silly and had weird names… but these… they were terrifying, twisted creatures. Shrieking and thrashing around with no logic or thought. Their bodies a pale sickly white and the majority of them with twisted and maimed figures, only the shredded remains of what one could only assume to have been clothes at one point in the near past covered their grotesque and unproportionate bodies. And even though she was only six and most things were supposed to be scary to her, not that they really were since she loved horror, Akko could tell by the way that the adults had frozen, and screamed, and ran when they saw them that these were creatures to be very afraid of. 

 

And now she was running. Smoke burning her lungs as she attempted to flee and blood warm on her shoulder from where she had managed snagged it on a protruding piece of metal while running. It was stupid… she was stupid. She had seen a man trip and went to help him. That’s when they had gotten separated and a villain had descended on them like a vulture with jagged wings. It’s green, smoky breath leaking from a crooked, unhinged jaw that had looked as if someone had fused its skin over it in an attempt to quite the horrifying shriek that it let out not a moment later than it had landed over them. She stood in front of the babbling, bawling man as the creature’s breath melted anything it happened to ghost over. Her arms spread out wide in an attempt to shield the man as the villain shambled over to them. It’s movements short and jerky as if it was a poorly puppeteered marionette.

 

    But luckily that hadn’t been the end of her as it should have. A hero had jumped in at the last second. A man with some sort of red cape and swords growing out of his arms. She didn’t have time to think about what to do but the next thing she knew she was running in the opposite direction. The man she had tried to help was nowhere in sight and she could still hear the battling duo behind her.

 

    So here she was. Running. Her lungs burning and her legs scratched up from all the ruble she was running past and jumping over. If she had ever had a grasp on anything then she would be losing it right about now. Her lungs felt like fire, her eyes weren't much different as she desperately tried to blink the smoke out of them, and her legs felt like they should have given out long ago. Coincidentally it seemed that they should have. Because just then she had tripped.

 

    _“AAAHHH!!”_ Her screams ran out as she landed on a pile of rocks and metal. A particularly sharp fragments of what had once been a mailbox had sliced up her arm all the way from her elbow. And She could feel the blood flow from the open wound joining that from her shoulder as she cried. Crying that happened to attract some unwanted attention, as a couple of villains found her. One a huge bulking creature of muscle with a single, giant, concrete arm and sharp, screw-like rivets -that kind of reminded her of Frankenstein- protruding from its body, the other a giant lanky form with blades covering its arms.

 

    Again, heroes jumped to her rescue from somewhere unknown to her, not that she would have been able to see even if she had looked. The smoke, rubble and fire did a very effective job of blocking anything from her sight except her immediate surroundings. 

 

    This time the heroes were a male and female pair. Both with matching white and black checkered costumes. _“Don’t worry kid, we’ve got you.”_ The woman had bent down to grab her, attempting to soothe her nerves. And her calm and confident voice almost did the trick all on it’s own. 

 

 _“That’s right kid. Just hold onto Queen there and you’ll be safe in no time.”_ The man’s voice was similar to the woman’s, a bit deeper but just as confident. But the relief that should had flooded Akko’s system at the prospect of being saved was quickly ripped away. As the man threw a punch, his arm unfolding like an accordion to cover the distance between them and the villains, she watched in horror as it’s target barely budged from what looked like a very heavy impact. One that resulted in a loud, responding _Slam_ upon meeting it’s target but still looked as if he had thrown a pebble at the thing. The punch would have very easily sent a grown man flying, in fact it had several times as she had seen this hero on the news before. They were a duo named King and Queen that were fairly famous in Osaka. But the giant, bulking creature only reached up to grab the offending limb as it starred on with dead, glassy eyes. It’s grip instantly contorting and crushing the heroes muscular arm like a twig. As he cried out in pain. _“AAGHH!”_

 

 _“KING!”_ The woman screamed as she held Akko against her chest. Clutching her tight and turning her away from the villains as if hiding her from sight would save her any of the horror she had already witnessed. It was obvious that she was about to try an help the man but he stopped her before she could.

 

 _“GO! Take the kid and get out of here. Your bro’s got this so just leave it to me.”_ King lunged at the monster, his body and legs unfolding much like his arms, and wrapped around the Giant body of the creature. He had attempted to avoid the rivets at first but there were so many that to get an effective hold he wouldn’t be able to miss them all. So gritting his teeth, he constricted around the creature as tightly as possible. A few of the rivets puncturing into his body, it looked like it hurt, a lot. But he just grit his teeth and smiled. _“This thing’s no problem, so don’t worry.”_

 

The woman lingered for only a moment longer, before she was launching off in the other direction. Her gaze turned full away as she held Akko as tight as possible, never looking back at her brother. As she unfolded her legs in the same manner as he had to bound forward and away. Keeping her gaze forward in an attempt to the temptation to turn around and help. This coincidently would be her undoing. As long blades pierced through her abdomen, clipping into Akko’s leg about half an inch or so. Resulting in a dead stop from the hero and a cry from Akko. _“AAHHHGGH!”_

 

 _“QUEE-”_ Turning to look for the source of the blades and the subsequent yell, all that was visible was the grotesquely stretched arm of the taller creature that had thrust the blades covering it’s hand through Queen’s stomach. Still standing in the same position a good 15 meters away. Next to it was crushed and mutilated remains of King, lying under the large concrete arm of it’s ally. His insides splattered so gruesomely that Akko would have surly thrown up if it wasn’t for the jerking movement of the taller creature pulling them back towards itself. In her last stitch effort to save Akko, Queen threw her away just as she was pulled back into the grasp of the creature, her life ending with one last shout as she was ripped into shreds by the creature’s asymmetrically bladed arms and hands. _“RUN!”_ were her last words. Words that would ring through her head for the rest of her life as she stared on in horror. So shocked and out of her depth that she couldn’t hardly think, let alone act. But soon the word’s meaning kicked in and something inside her socked her in the brain, kicking her into action.

 

But Akko couldn’t so much as push herself up before the creatures were moving towards her. The bulkier one moving with surprisingly jittery movements as it’s body slowly progressed despite the quick, shaky nature of its steps. The taller one taking jerky almost uneven steps. Akko would have run, but the moment she put pressure on the leg, the cut from earlier range with pain as she collapsed to the ground. She couldn’t run because of her leg, She couldn’t crawl because of her arm and shoulder, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t try. As the soot and smoke from the surrounding fire rained down on her she willed her working limbs -sore from the impact of being thrown to the ground- to move pushing herself away from the ever nearing death that trudged slowly towards her.

 

And like an angel, a saving grace that brought hope to her heart and tears to her eyes, A hero descended from somewhere -likely the remains of a nearby building- from beyond her view. She, quite literally, shone with radiant light, like a star falling from the night sky, one that had previously been covered by a veil of smoke and screams to only now be revealed in all its splendor. Her white outfit covered in far too few blood and dirt stains for the current havoc that raged around them. Red hair flaring from underneath her pointed hat and eyes of a matching color, perfectly pairing the brilliant smile that adorned her face, despite the dire circumstances. Normally Akko wouldn’t have felt hopeful at the appearance of this stranger, after all three heroes had already tried to save her and she saw two of them die and could only believe that the same fate had befallen the first. But there was something different about this woman… She radiated power and she stood out against a background of blood and dust, her smile like a beacon through the darkness.

 

 _“Don’t worry I’ll have you out of here soon. So just sit tight!”_ The woman spoke with an excited and soothing voice. One that sounded of silk and honey. And so much pure confidence that Akko couldn’t help but feel put at ease.

 

After making her proclamation she turned to face the Villains, energy arcing and radiating off of her body as she closed a distance that Akko honestly couldn’t measure, give her a break she’s 6 and bleeding, but knew was to great for the single hop she took to cross it. 

 

If she had said that she wasn’t expecting the mysterious woman to end up like the other two heroes, she would have been lying. But to the wonder and awe of her young, at the time, mind. It went in much the opposite direction. As she ended her hop right in front of the bulkier of the two creatures it, much as it had before, had already raised it’s giant concrete arm. But unlike before, as it swung down the woman simply sidestepped it, simply despite how fast and long the single stride had been. She effortlessly ducked, more like tucked herself in but dodged nonetheless, under the lanky strike of the second villain, dancing around on her toes as she jumped over the subsequent swing of a large concrete arm. One that slid along the ground, uprooting stone and dirt as it arched under her nimble form and landed square against the hip of the other creature as it veered up in an attempt to strike the smaller woman.

 

If the events that had prefaced the fight hadn’t been so horribly childhood scaring, and just scary in general, the Akko would have been completely enraptured by the fight. The woman was nimble and acrobatic, she had ended up on the opposite side of the creatures after the initial exchange. Akko couldn’t really see what she was doing over there but that didn’t matter for to long as not but a seconds after the villains had fumbled, the larger one was sent flying a small distance, the woman standing where he had been, fist still clenched from the super powered punch. Her body in what little Akko could only relate to the poses that she had seen boxers make on tv after, what her father would call, _“a solid punch”_. One arm raised in front of her face, the other still moving through the punch, and her body turned forward, it was more like a twist than a turn but she didn’t really care that much, ever so slightly. Akko didn’t really know why the pose was always like that, but she did know that it looked cool regardless.

 

The second Villain didn’t seem keen on letting her make another move before it wiped it’s straight down in an attempt to squash her. And Akko couldn’t tell you what the woman had done, it was too fast for her now blurring eyesight to follow, but she was standing with one foot pinning the hand against the ground by the wrist. Her arms were occupied with a similar task as she had it’s elbow pinned against her shoulder, if you could even call it an elbow with how it’s arm could stretch, one on the outside pushing against it’s elbow and the other on it’s forearm pushing it in the opposite direction of what one would consider a normal bending joint. The creature was obsessively attempting to pull it’s arm out of her hold. 

 

It must not have been very intelligent, since even Akko was wondering why it didn’t just attack with it’s other arm. But any posturing on the subject was cut short as the bulkier villain came charging back at them. Concrete arm raised above its head as it body shook and convulsed with each quick step. Akko was about to call out to the woman to warn her. To let her know that it was coming so she wouldn’t end up like Queen. But the gesture was apparently unneeded. As the hero was already looking straight at, a devious smirk on her face as it neared. But she waited, the only movements she made were to keep her grip on the lankier villain and to dodge its second arm, which it had apparently remember it  could use. 

 

And at the last moment, when the creature was already right next to her, and it’s arm swinging down in the fatal blow; she let go and rolled out of the way. Leaving the giant arm to crush not only the hand she had been holding, but also the second one that had just happened to be mid strike as well. 

 

“ **_GHHUAUAAUAUHHH!”_ **The second creature cried out in agony as the bulkier on attempted to pry it’s arm up. It had apparently swung down too hard and gotten the rivets in protruding from it buried in the ground. The woman wasted no time as she lead over the villains and all the way back to Akko with an elegant and overdramatic backflip. Her cocky smile still in place. As she looked at Akko.

 

 _“Well it’s about time to wrap this up don’t you think?”_ All Akko could do was sit back in awe and reverence of the hero in front of her. Who was she? How was she so strong? Was she actually supposed to answer? She probably should because the woman was looking at her expectantly. But to enamored to form coherent words all she could manage was a small nod, one punctuated by an open mouth. The response from the woman was a brilliant smile and exaggerated tune as she talked.

 

 _“All right then!”_ She raised her left arm into the air, palm open and fingers together as her thumb formed a right angle with the others all the while energy still arching and radiating off of her. “ _Then sit tight and enjoy! Because it’s time for the finale!”_ Suddenly the soft glow surrounding her hand grew into a blistering fire. The energy so intense that Akko could feel it radiating off and around her. It wasn’t painful, in fact it was much the opposite. It was warm and comforting, like a really soft kotatsu. So much so in fact that she could feel all her worries and fear fading away. Even the pain and soreness that had settled into every inch of her body felt eased by the soft warmth. 

 

The woman raised her right hand to rest in the crux between the thumb and pointer finger of her left hand. _“Are you ready now? All you need to do is one thing.”_

 

The energy radiating off of her spiked and arched, almost all of it visibly channeling to her left and as it fluxed and spun. _“It’s simple really! Just raise your hand and remember these words.”_

 

Her body shifted as her stance changed. And this time Akko was close enough to see every small detail that she had missed before. Not that she would have been able to look a way if she wanted, the woman had stolen her attention and Akko couldn’t will herself to look anywhere else. Her feet shifted, the front tilted slightly while the back was pointed forward with it’s heel off the ground. Her hips lowered as her back tilted ever so slightly forward. All the while still holding her hands towards the two villains, that were still trying desperately to pry the bulkier one’s arm from the ground. 

 

 _“A believing heart; is your power!”_ For the third and final time, the energy spiked suddenly blaring out in such an intensity that Akko had to squint her eyes to even look in it’s direction. She swiftly brought her right arm all the way back. The energy gathered in the left one fallowing it’s trail down her arms and transferring to her right hand as it reached the end of its motion.

 

 _“SHINY ARK!!”_ The woman’s voice blared out into their surroundings as she punched her hand forward through the air. At the end of the punch all the energy that had been stored up propelled out faster than anything that Akko had ever seen, and she had ridden a bullet train. It left the woman’s fist with a blast wave, pushing the woman back slightly as the ground beneath her feet gave way to the force while her body remained firm. Decent sized chunks of rubble and debris were blown away as the uprooted concrete left a trial of her bodies movement beneath her feet. Akko herself would have been blown away if she wasn’t almost pushed up against a chunk of concrete already. 

 

The blast was powerful. Too powerful. And much to fast to reasonably dodge or even really react. The villains couldn’t even manage a pitiful final screech before the attack hit. It landed square on the concrete arm and the resulting blast enveloped them entirely, forming first a small sphere, then growing to envelope both villains, and finally erupting into a giant pillar of light and tiny particles that sone and flitted like stardust. 

 

Akko was so enamoured with the pillar of light that she almost didn’t notice the woman walking over to her and crouching down in front of her face. She almost felt like backing up. This woman was so powerful. Was she really here to save her? How could someone so strong even exist? But her worry was washed away a second later as the woman spoke. _“Hello there little girl. Are you okay. Do you have any ouchies?”_ Akko hadn’t noticed it before but the woman had a slight accent. She couldn’t tell you where from but it sounded nice. Remembering that she had been asked a question she decided it was probably a good idea to answer. Her parents always told her to answer a hero when they ask a question.

 

 _“U-Uh-huh.”_ She brought her arm up, whining and whimpering as she realized how much pain she was in. Before the calming light of the woman and the life or death circumstances had distracted her from the pain but now it all came back full force. She wanted to cry but she knew she should probably tell the woman about it first, that’s what her parents had taught her to do. And besides she didn’t like kids who cried a lot anyways, it was annoying and a waste of time. She thought it made kids who cried at every little thing look like babies so she tried not to cry often. She was a big girl! 

 

 _“Come on kiddo, tell me where it hurts.”_ Oh… that’s right she should probably do that.

 

She brought her arm up and held it for the woman to see, a few more tears leaking out of her eyes despite her willing them not to. _“My arm hurts.”_ She moved her hand to point at her leg where she had gotten cut. _“And my leg too.”_

 

 _“Hmm…”_ The woman hummed to herself as she examined the wounds. Mumbling under her breath, mostly to herself but Akko could hear it still. _“The should is just a shallow snag… the arm isn’t good but it’s nothing that bad either… but this cut on the leg doesn’t look to good…”_ She had her hand covering her chin as she thought. Eyes raising to catch Akko’s own after a few seconds. And a smile covering her face as she Spoke again, in full volume this time. _“You’ll be just fine. We just need to get you somewhere safe.”_ She ripped of a few strips of the cape she wore and tied them tight around Akko’s arm, shoulder, and leg. After the impromptu-to bandages were attached she grabbed Akko from under her armpits and hoisted her up gently, making sure not to hurt her wounded leg or shoulder as she moved her. But right before they could leave they heard someone calling from over a pile of rubble.

 

 _“HEY!”_ Turning to look for the source they found a group of brightly dressed heroes. All covered in blood, though some were worse off than others. And a couple of them carrying people in their arms.

 

 _“Are you two okay down there?!”_ The one calling to them was a tall man wearing a funny looking orange and yellow costume with white frillies. 

 

 _“I’m fine but this girl needs medical attention!”_ The woman raised her hand, waving to the group as she called out. A signal to come near. And that they did. As the group neared it was easier to tell that the people they were carrying were all hurt as well. Mostly men and Women but a pair of children that looked like twins as well. They all had varying degrees of injury but none of them looked all that bad to Akko. Though she had no basis in terms of medical knowledge. And for all she knew they could have been in very bad need of medical attention. But she was only a child at this time, a bleeding and probably traumatized child on the verge of unconsciousness but a child nonetheless. Siad bleeding and almost being unconscious was probably what lead to her not putting up much of an argument as she was handed over to the group of heroes. What lead to her not saying anything as the woman leapt away. What lead to the fussy memories that followed as she was carried to a hospital and reunited with her parents.

 

Akko had always known that heroes were… well… heroic. She remembered seeing them patrolling and stopping villains. She remembered hearing on the news and how her parents talked about them that they were there to protect and save people. But it was the first time she had experienced it. How they tried to save people, how they gave their lives with qualms as long as they could save one in return. It was the first time that she wanted to be a hero. And it was all thanks to those the three that died for her, as she would later learn the first one had indeed perished in defeating that villian. But more than anything; it was thanks to that woman. Shiny Chariot as she would later learn. How she smiled in the face of danger, how she saved her life as well as another 126 people during the crisis. It’s what Akko wanted to do. It became her dream just as Chariot became her Idol. 

 

If she could get there one day, if she could save others and make them feel safe while doing it. Putting a smile on the faces of everyone she save. She’d give anything for that. 

 

Today was her first step. Well not really that had been long ago. But it was the first step that would make all the difference. The Luna Nova entrance exams. The days she had worked and fought so hard to get to. The alma mater of her idol and the school that could make anyone into a hero.

 

Today. She would see if she can make it.

 


	2. A Journey Begins!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entrance exams are here! How will Akko fair against her opponents? Will she play fair? Will they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello every one! I... Won't lie. This got a lot more attention than I thought it would. (Not that hard to believe considering I expected one person to read it... and that one person was me.)
> 
> Anyways! I'm glad you're liking it! Unless you aren't. In which case. I'm not sorry, you were warned. 
> 
> Okay, so a few things to address real quick. First being that this story is only going to loosely fallow the story of Little Witch Academia. I'm sorry if you want something closer but I really just wanted these characters to interact in the MHA world. So there are only a few things that carry over. And if your expecting the shiny rod to make an appearance early on like it did in the show or how One for All did in MHA, then... don't. I'm sorry, it does make an appearance later on, and by later I mean wayyyyy later in the progress of the story that I already have planed out, it's just not in the way you think it would. 
> 
> Okay, next. Who likes OCs? Wait wait wait! Don't worry they aren't that agregious. Most of them are villains, civilians, or completly inconsiquntial to the overarching narative. I just didn't want to shoe horn any of the characters into a villian role that didn't suit them. And I also needed to diversafy the gender ratio in Akko's class. Not the easiest thing to do considering the show is comprised of an all girls school and then three other named, male character that arne't in their late sixties. So... yeah.
> 
> Almost done, don't worry. This is to adress a problem that may crop up in the future. Akko may feel a bit out of character. But that's mostly because I wanted to give her an ark beyond what the show had. She will eventualy start to fill more of the original character archatype that she held in the show, just a bit matured. I just wanted to have fun and explore some deeper character dynamics. 
> 
> Okay and finaly. Have a wonderful day and enjoy. Please. Or don't it's up to you.

**Chapter 1: A Dual For the Future**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

She was ready. Well as ready as she could be anyways. A few hand grenades and a sword or two would really go a long way but she didn’t think she could reasonably sneak those in and get away with using them without getting disqualified. But maybe a knife… No, no that wouldn’t work. She didn’t want to cheat anyways. She would have to be enough, just her and what she’d learned. 

 

Akko found herself so lost in thought while staring at the front of Luna Nova’s combat cities that she almost didn’t notice when the crowd around her started moving. She tucked the number she had been given into her pocket as she moved along with them. It wasn’t starting, not yet at least, everyone was just moving into the staging room where the rules would be announced. They were all meeting up with their friends and settling into their groups. Getting together to come up with strategies, trying to guess the rules so that they could work around them, or just gossiping about the closest person and how cute and/or ugly they were. Akko didn’t really care. It’s not like she’s against eavesdropping to gather info before the fight. In fact she’s all for it. It’s a smart strategy and what any other person should be doing. But most of what she heard for the few seconds that she was listening only made her sick. It was mostly nonsense and hey, usually she loved nonsense. But this was a different kind of nonsense. A kind she would never understand. 

 

The majority of it was from the aristocrats, the largest percentage of the over 1000 kids participating, not that she knew if that was the number of participants but it was the average. And most of their conversations were mindless babble about being better than others. She didn’t care for it.

 

Akko decided to take a seat in the shade towards the back of the courtyard where they were told to wait. By herself and away from everyone else. It’s not that she didn’t have any friends… Well okay she didn’t. But that wasn’t why she sat alone in the back! She just wanted to avoid the aristocrats and heroes’ kids. Ms. Ursula had told her that there would be a lot of them and she wasn’t wrong. She could still hear some of them whispering and others outright yelling and laughing at the participants like her. The quirkless kids. 

 

There were a good number this year, more than the usual 1% at least. Not enough to matter but hey it’s progress, she guessed to herself silently. They all wanted to prove that they were just as strong as the other kids, that they could make it in too. But they wouldn’t. Not because they weren’t cut out physically or mentally, they were just at a huge disadvantage and not only because of their lack of a quirk. The problem wasn’t in their competence or determination, it was something much more sad. Something that they couldn’t help. 

 

They lacked not only a quirk but the quirk factor as well. As little as it’s talked about, the quirk factor is just as important, if not more so, than the quirk that it manifests. It changes the bodies of those who have it. Not just for their quirks but so that they can survive when using them. A quirk factor makes your body stronger, more durable. It’s what let’s heroes get thrown through walls, take concrete destroying hits and get back up, get literally blasted in the face by an explosion, and so on. It didn’t fully make heroes invulnerable. A knife would still cut you just as easily unless your actual quirk said otherwise, and physiological limitation still applied; get punched in the kidney and it’s still gonna hurt like hell regardless of super strength, dust will still blind you momentarily even if you could shoot lasers out your butt, and you can still be pinned despite being able to explode things with your snot. In all honesty it was very insignificant in a fight with someone whom also had one. Sure the scales can be tipped by training it but that goes for everything. But it made all the difference if you _didn’t_ have one. That’s why none of the other quirkless kids would pass. 

 

But Akko was different. Sure she was quirkless just like them but the quirk factor was still there. It was strange, the doctors couldn’t really explain it when they did tests. The quirk factor had manifested and they could even create a quirk model for it. But where the different DNA sequences that make up a quirk should have been, there was nothing. They were just blank. As if a cruel joke that the world had played on her. She had the capacity but it just wasn’t realized. A “freak genetic mutation” they called it.

 

But Akko had gotten over that a long time ago. She moved on and enrolled in a special school meant to train hero’s kids to follow in their parent’s footsteps. She had been the youngest there, and the kids would all gang up on and bully her. Her friends all told her to give up, her parents tried to make her. But Miss Ursula had faith in her. She had been her primary mentor, one among the multitude that were hired at the school, and with her help and advice Akko had persevered. She graduated in the upper ranks of her classes, thanks to copious amounts of caffeine and brain murdering long study sessions each day, and excelled at any and all physical activities she attempted. For the most part, dancing and music skill still eluded her.

 

That’s right. She could do this. She had faced hard times before and she would face them again. She had learned plenty to get by, and she had one big advantage over most of the participants. She had actual combat experience. While she couldn’t say this for everyone, it’s not likely that the kids with the powerful quirks and rich parents would have been in an actual fight in their entire lives. And it was much less likely that they’d been ganged up on during one like she had been. No, they’d spent all their time training their quirks. Their oh so special gifts that gave them the advantage over everyone else. Sure, some of the heroes kids would have spared with their parents, but it’s unlikely that they would go all out against them. Akko wasn’t like them. Akko was treated differently, no one cared if she was damaged or beaten to badly.

 

When they would spar back at the school the instructors would always stop a fight after it had gone on to long. They would never let it get so far that it even left the traces of a scar. But that was for the other kids. For the ones with quirks, for the ones with futures, for the ones that actually had a chance, for the ones that mattered- _Breath… In… one… two… three…_ She hated that place. Kind of, well... It’s complicated okay. It was harsh and unfair, but it gave her a way to reach her dream. And besides there had been some good people there. Her primary mentor, Ursula, had been kind and caring. But it didn’t matter now. She could get lost in thought later because right now the rules were going to be announced.

 

A pair of professors, at least they had the same uniforms as the professors on the school’s website, were standing on the raised platform where the fountain was. One was tall and stern looking, Akko didn’t actually know how she would have described stern in a sense of appearance but if anyone ever asked her from this point forward she suspected that she would just have to hold up a photo of this woman because it’s the only thing that came to mind. She stood as straight as a light pole and had a, what Akko could only guess was permanent, frown on her face. The other was a bit shorter and had a bit of a tilt to her stand, not like she had an issue with the leg she was just standing in a quirky way. They gave everyone a few moments to move over to them before they spoke. 

 

“Attention everyone! We are about to begin the Luna Nova entrance exams in approximately 10 minutes. My Hero name is HeadCount, but you will all address me as Professor Finnelan. With me is Professor Nelson. She shall explain the rules for the preceding.” 

 

So apparently the stern looking one was named Finnelan. Akko didn’t recognize her hero name but her knowledge of European heroes was admittedly lacking. It’s not that she didn’t know any, European heroes just tended to be less flashy than the American one’s in their bright, and at times gaudy, costumes and exaggerated names. Or the Japanese ones that she had grown up around.

 

“Hello everyone!” The other woman's voice, Nelson apparently, pulled Akko out of her thoughts. “My hero name is Airheart - the sky queen hero. But Finnalen already told ya’ my real name so go ahead and use it. As for the rules of the exams, they’re simple. It’s a dog fight.”

 

If anyone actually knew what that was supposed to mean then their faces didn’t show it. Nelson seemed to pick up on the confusion because she was elaborating, after a brief yet exasperated sigh, a moment later. “Each of ya’ will be paired against another participant. The two of ya’ will then duke it out until ya’ either; pin the other person for the count of 10, or leave them unconscious. Ya’ only get one fight, and all fights are happenin’ at the same time.”

 

“You will go to the portion of the battle city designated with the number you were given when you arrived.” Oh, Finnelan was talking again. Guess she wanted to get this over with. “Whether or not you pass depends entirely on how you fight. Winning doesn’t guarantee you a spot and even if you lose you may still be admitted. Do you all understand?” A chorus of grunts was her only response, beside a few enthusiastic _‘Yes mam!’_ s.

 

So you could still be admitted if you didn’t win? That seems interesting. Usually these kinds of things would just look for the strongest kids, or the ones with the best quirks. Akko could only guess that this was why Luna Nova was one of the best hero schools in all of Europe. They were probably going to look at how each person fought and how they did against someone that their quirk might not be the most useful against. Now she just needed to show that she had what it takes.

 

Her number was 7. Huh, pretty low considering the number of participants. She found it towards the front of the first battle city. It was a decent sized area, about 20 meters in every direction, courted off with chalk. There was a temporary speaker to one side with her number posted on it.

 

The overall city had an interesting design. It looked like someone had taken a metropolis straight from some futuristic, gas-line future or something. The whole place was huge, kind of made Akko wonder how the school could afford to build and maintain something this big since it probably cost a fortune in itself. It was set up with buildings of varying sizes and architectural styles. All lined up in a grid pattern, each one interconnected with thousands of pipes ranging from an exceedingly small size, in large bundles, to huge, tunnel sized, ones. Some connecting straight to the next building, others going off in seemingly random directions and yet others making nonsense geometric patterns and sculptures. It looked like the perfect place for parkouring around in. “Maybe I should do my runs here from now on…”

 

“Well that would require you to actually be accepted. And I would suggest that you keep your aspiration to a realistic level.”

 

Akko had mostly been talking to herself, she hadn’t even noticed the guy standing next to her. He was wearing a suit, something definitely not suited to a fight, maybe a waltz with the riches, but not a fight. And his black hair was drowned in the gallon of mouse he had used to push it back and up into some sort of extremely tall pompadour. All in all, and this was in Akko’s humble opinion, he looked like a total douche. 

 

But as she tried to ignore the impending sense of doom as the image of her mother charging at her with a bar of soap meant to cleanse her mouth of the crude language she had uttered within her mind, she still considered that it might be nice to be friendly with him. She put on her best, well best was way over exaggerated but still, smile as she spoke. Promptly ignoring his earlier remark. “Hello, my name is Kagari Atsuko! But you can call me Akko.” 

 

She raised her hand as she approached him, expecting a handshake. Only receiving a pointed glare for her efforts. There was a moment of silence as the other student moved to their positions. A grimace growing on the boys face as Akko attempted to keep her smile in place. Soon enough a cocky smirk replaced the grimace and he finally spoke. “Well then _Atsuko-_ ” he said her name with a curt tone that made Akko happy that she was allowed to punch him in the face in a moment, “seeing as this… fight, will be over shortly. I request that you at least put up a bit of a challenge. I’d like to get a chance to display some of my skills at least.” It’s then that his smirk turned from patronizing to something that made Akko nearly vomit just with a look. “But who knows. If you do well enough I might find it in myself to give you a... treat, back at my mansion.”

 

Akko honestly thought she would punch the punk out before the exams even started. But instead she just stepped away, not even attempting to hide the disgusted look that had formed on her countenance, and dropped her hand. “Okay then. Well, do you want to tell me your name before this starts. I’d like to know who I’m fighting at least.”

 

“Oh, trust me it won’t be much of a fight.” The small chuckle that followed made his face 200% more punch-able. Trust her, Akko did the math and it was one of her best subjects. “But if you must know, my name is Solomon Edmonstone. Heir of the Edmonstone fortune as well as son and successor of the hero Essence.” 

 

If Akko had disliked him from the first look, then she simply couldn’t be bothered to pay him any mind now. The way he spoke was the same way that all aristocrats or kids of famous heroes spoke. With an air of implied superiority, and dripping with the ego that had been stroked thoroughly since birth. She couldn’t stand people like this, and found herself praying that the other students wouldn’t be like this. 

 

And maybe it sounded cocky that she hadn’t even considered the possibility of losing. Of course it didn’t mean she would get in but her chances were actually better than most students. If she could prove that she could take this guy out than the school would likely take note, and being the school to train the first quirkless individual would be a giant PR boost. Both good and bad but hey, there’s no such thing as bad PR. Now all she had to do was make sure that she completely humiliated this guy, well technically she didn’t have to but she reeaaaally wanted to. 

 

The only obstacle that would have presented itself would have been not knowing his quirk. But he had screwed up and told her the name of his father, a hero who she just so happened to know. Not only that but he also told her that he was his father’s successor, something that wouldn’t happen unless they had the same or extremely similar quirks. Otherwise his father would have made him assume a different hero name. It was a common occurrence for kids who fallowed their parents into the hero business.

 

Essence. The everywhere hero. His ability was a basic teleportation quirk called “Blink”. She had only seen it in action a few times but it was enough to know how he fought. In most of his fights, all of the ones that she had seen at least, he would blink rapidly around his target and confuse the enemy. Delivering several small blows to whittle down his opponents. Would this guy, yes she knew his name but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of even thinking it, apply the same tactic? Possibly but he didn’t look like he’d been in a single fight in his entire life. But she would find out soon. As the voice over the speakers called for everyone to move to the marked positions in their allocated areas. And the count down to the start of the fight began.

 

_“The battle portion of the entrance exams are about to begin. Please move to the designated starting points in your arena.”_

 

Oh, yeah. There had been a written portion before this. If you didn’t pass with a high enough grade then you wouldn’t have even been allowed to come to this portion. It has incredibly high standards, and is where most of the examinees where disqualified. Akko spared a moment of thought to the days she had spent studying leading up to the exams. Walking towards the starting point, marked with a red box and two foot prints, as she thought. She had been so nervous over it she had almost puked.

 

_“5…”_

 

Oh, well. It was time to start. 

 

_“4…”_

 

Get out of your head Akko. Get ready. Even if he doesn’t look like much, this is your one shot. So don’t screw it up.

 

_“3…”_

 

Akko shifted into a ready stance. Nothing fancy, a simple boxing approach would do just fine. She would have preferred Usakata -she did create the style specifically for fighting individuals with quirks after all- but she couldn’t utilize it’s full potential without her costume. Besides this was even better for showing practical skill.

 

_“2…”_

 

Keep on your line, feet in the right position. Hips relaxed. Arms up. Don’t block your view but don’t give them any openings.

 

_“1…”_

 

Stance wider… wider… Not too wide... Keep it low, don’t lose balance… Perfect. She was ready.

 

_“Begin!”_

 

Akko quickly found that her assumption had been correct as he started the fight by blinking around with a few resounding “ _PoP_ ”s. So he did have a teleportation quirk. But she was incorrect in thinking that he would adopt a similar strategy as his father. 

 

While his father would start fights by confusing the enemy and making it impossible to know where the hit would come from, this guy just covered the distance in three rapid fire teleports. It would have been an effective way to earn a presumptive strike. But instead of utilizing the three teleports towards her in a random sequence of different positions, which would have been the smart thing to do. He followed the very challenging and extremely tactically brilliant pattern of; left, right, left. And given the information that she had, Akko could only assume, rightly, that the fourth teleport and subsequent strike would come from the right. So it was a simple matter of dodging by rolling under the awkward swing when it arrived in the exact position she had predicted.

 

She would have attacked with a jab after the missed punch but it was followed by a quick teleport, a resounding _PoP_ , and a very familiar feeling, thank the nine that she had passed her Godan test, from right behind her. Ducking just as she felt it, she was simultaneously relieved and disappointed by the sight of a fist flying over her head. Relieved because this meant that he would at least give her the semblance of a decent fight.

 

But disappointed because this guy had no clue how to throw a punch! If he had actually landed either of those punches it would have broken his hand. Akko was absolutely certain that he had never been in a fight now. 

 

But that only worked to her advantage so she wasn’t too broken up about it. Instead she swept his legs out from under him with a kick and bought her elbow up to strike him the stomach, not as good as the kidneys or another close lying organ but it would still probably put him out of the fight right away, while he fell. But her plan was foiled by a _PoP_ and the sound of him falling on his face 5 meters away. So he couldn’t change his pose while teleporting? Interesting… But it was now time to enact one of her favorite strategies.

 

She stood up and began sauntering over while he brushed off his face and suit, bet he regretted wearing it now. “So what was that about giving you a ‘bit of a challenge’?”

 

His face formed a scowl as he brought his head up and turned to look at Akko. Her smirk only increasing his rage a hundred times. “Shut up miscreant!” He spat some gravel from his mouth as he pushed himself up. Not wasting a second to close the distance with a teleport and throwing another punch at Akko’s temple. One that she dodged easily, regaining her stance in less that the second it took him to throw another punch. One that she, once again, easily dodged. Akko couldn’t help but think about this guy as she easily dodged and ducked attack after attack. Whether it was preceded by a teleport or not. It wasn’t something that she would do in any normal fight but this guy honestly wasn’t giving her enough of a problem to actually focus.

 

This guy’s form was extremely sloppy. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any, he did it just sucked. It was like he watched a few action movies and just copied what they did by blending it into the a= few basic steps to actually forms that he had been taught. His feet were way to close together, he held his arms out to the sides in resting position, if you could even call that a position considering how inconsistent it was. He was holding his hands better now, they wouldn’t break if he actually landed a punch. But he was throwing himself around with each punch. Honestly he probably wouldn’t have had much trouble with most of the other contestants, it would have been a closer fight at least. But Akko had trained against quirk users who actually knew how to fight for the past ten years. It kind of made her look worse by comparison. Oh well. Time to get back to trash talking. “Hey do you plan on actually hitting me some time soon? Because I’m pretty sure you’re gonna need to if you want to win.”

 

“Shut! Your! Mouth!” Each word was punctuated by a punch. He wasn’t even teleporting that much anymore.

 

“Well you did say that you wanted them to see an accurate display of your skills. And I gotta say that this seems like a pretty accurate display.”

 

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU INCOLENT WH-” That last part was cut off by the very satisfying feeling of Akko’s right fist colliding with his cheek. Not where you would want to hit to end a fight right away but she wanted to at least show a little of her skills. Which she thinks she did well with the subsequent left jab to his kidneys -he would be feeling that for the next morning- combined with the following right hook, left cross, and finally a right uppercut. A rather simple and short combo but performed in rapid succession and doing it’s job as he back peddled straight onto his but in a dazed attempt to escape as he wheezed and blinked away tears. 

 

“Well it seems like we should wrap this up soon. It’s already been 3 minutes of you floundering around. So we might as well wrap this up.” She could only smirk at him as he rolled around trying to regain his bearings. Kidney punches were no joke, and the subsequent beating he had taken wasn’t really helping him. Akko could already see the black eye and bumps forming. Impressive, it usually took an hour or two.

 

“Y-you insolent, petulant, INSIGNIFICANT-” 

 

“You gonna rant for a little longer or can I knock you out and get this over with?”

 

“Ha… Hahah… Ahhahh! Okay then let’s see how you talk when I’ve broken your jaw and ripped out your tongue!” Usually Akko wouldn't take his words as anything but the last desperate words of someone who couldn’t accept that they were beaten by someone without a quirk, it had happened enough to recognize when that was the case, but she was a bit on edge considering that he produced a green pill from his pocket and had just swallowed it.

 

“Hey, what was that?”

 

“Oh, you’ll see in just a moment.” And it was indeed just one moment later when his form began rapidly blinking in and out of place as he smiled. A crazy, twisted smile, but a smile nonetheless. 

 

His body automatically began teleporting everywhere seemingly at once as he pushed himself off of the ground. Akko was about to say something but before she had the chance he was standing in front of her his fist swing, she didn’t have time to dodge so she put her arms up to block as she regained her stance from earlier. Of course it didn’t help when he teleported at the last second and the strike landed against the side of her head.

 

But she held her ground as she swung a right cross in an attempt to retaliate. Rather annoyingly though, her fist only met air as he teleported and struck her twice within the next second. Once in the stomach, and dammit if she didn’t hate getting hit there. It always made her feel like she was going to throw up. And then on her right forearm as she managed to block a punch aimed at her temple. He was back to rapidly blinking everywhere as he attempted to taunt her.

 

“SO WHAT DO YOU THINK! IS THIS AN APPROPRIATE DISPLAY!” He was clutching his hand, probably had hurt himself on those punches since he hadn’t landed any before. That was good. It meant that whatever that pill had been couldn’t have made him much stronger than he was before, at least not in terms of durability anyways.

 

“Heh, I’d say so. Now we can have an actual fight.” Believe it or not Akko wasn’t just talking out of her rear. This gave her a better chance to show off what she could do. Now she just had to actually get some hits in. She’d aim for the kidneys, a bigger target that would daze him so she could get a shot in on his jaw, her good old friend the knockout button. “Now come on! Let’s do this.”

 

“Tsk, seems you’re still unaware of your place. Seems that once I’ve bested you here I’ll have to teach it to you. In a more… intimate place.”

 

Akko had to resist the urge to vomit. “You wish punk.”

 

High waisted only a short time in reinitiating his attacks. He was back on the offensive in mere moments, teleporting and swinging, still admittedly awkward, punches as Akko went on the defensive. The attacks she couldn’t dodge were blocked, those she couldn’t block were endured. Their exchange continued as Akko followed it in her head; from the left, dodge it, watch the right, from below, rollback and duck from the right, right, left, left, right, blocked the left, ducked a high swing. Her body ducked, tucked, pivoted, and swiveled as she held her stance firm, not moving from her place in an attempt to draw him in. And it was working. She just needed the right moment… 

 

She blocked a punch aimed at her stomach. Ducked a high swing at her temple. Several punches redirected by her arms as she tried to keep them from her jaw and stomach. But then there were some that she couldn’t avoid in the hail of attacks. Had he gotten faster? The pill probably boosted his physical abilities without reinforcing his body. Oh well.

 

She took a punch to she the cheek as she blocked the opposite side of her face from a punch not even half a second earlier. He was landing them more often now, getting more confident in his attacking. “What’s wrong wench? Can’t handle this? Where did all that spunk go, I wonder?” 

 

Ignore him. Focus on the fight. He was getting more hits off and it was making him cocky because he didn’t realize something very important. He was still losing. His form was still poor, and even with the extra strength, as Akko was now sure that the pill had upped his speed and strength by the tiniest bit, he didn’t punch nearly as hard as some of the other kids or instructors that she’s used to sparring against. So even if he was on the attack and had landed more hits on her, Akko was still winning. 

 

He was getting tired from using his quirk so much and it was easy to see that his punches were doing much more to himself than they were to her. She probably wouldn’t even have bruises in the morning, but his arms were shaking and trembling. He couldn’t take much more. And all Akko needed was the right opening. There had been many already, hell his whole stance was an opening, but she wanted the perfect one. What if he had another one of those pills? She wasn’t willing to find out. And besides, she wanted to drag this on for a little longer.

 

And almost as if someone was reading her mind and orchestrating the whole thing, there it was. He blinked dead in front of her, left arm up and to the side for a punch aimed right at her face. His step was out of place just enough, so she sprung. 

 

Before he could even follow her movements he was trapped. She had grabbed the wrist of his raised arm, pulling towards her and down as she pivoted off of the ball of her right foot, turning around as she brought her elbow right into his kidney. He was dazed and Akko didn’t waste the opportunity as she shifted her hipps back and pulled him up and over her back, his body was jittering as he tried to teleport away -apparently he couldn’t teleport when someone was holding him-, slamming him into the ground. She continued the motion fluidly as she flipped him over and pinned him to the ground. The already captured arm was twisted behind his back while her right leg pinned both of his just below the knees. Her right arm pinched at the elbow around his neck, pulling his head back, and her left leg held the lock stable on the ground as she kept her weight equal throughout the pin. 

 

“It’s over. You’re beaten.”

 

“I don’t think so you _scum_.” His voice was spiteful. Why wouldn’t it be? He had cheated and still lost. 

 

“Honestly, I kinda have to thank you. If you hadn’t cheated and taken that pill, the fight would have ended early. I probably wouldn’t have gotten much consideration.” 

 

“DON’T COUNT YOURSELF IN JUST YET! I’M THE SON OF THE FAMOUS HERO ESSENCE! AND YOUR JUST SOME QUIRKLESS NOBODY FOREIGNER! I’LL STILL GET IN AND YOU WON’T EVEN BE REMEMBERED FOR ANYTHING! MUCH LESS BEING A HERO!”

 

Ah. He was playing the “rich-kid-important-daddy-card”. Akko hated that more than anything. It gave people a reason to look down on others instead of seeing them as equals and accepting them for their hard work. “Well that may be true.” It’s not. All of these fights are recorded and posted on the school's websites and social media accounts. The school would have a riot on its hands if a single video was missing. Even more so if people saw this fight and how this kid acted and learned that he had gotten in instead of her. People were already, extremely critical of learning heroes. “But I guess we’ll just have to see won’t we?” The speaker to the far side of their area let out a loud, drawn out beeping noise signaling the end of their exam. 

 

_“The winner is Atsuko Kagari! Please vacate Battle City Alpha through area 2. Leave your number with the professor at the entrance on your way out. Thank you for your participation.”_

 

Akko released the guy, honestly she didn’t remember his name anymore. Salmon? Salazar? Sss-Stephon? 

 

“It’s Solomon you cur.” He mumbled as he ignored the hand Akko held out to help him up. Oh. She had been talking out loud. Oh well. “And I would recommend that you to remember it. You’ll be seeing more of me, mark my words!” He stormed off in the direction of area two. Apparently the two contestants there had finished their fight already. It wasn’t surprising, they had been fighting for a full 9 minutes. Well, most of it was comprised of talking or Akko letting him attack to tire himself out but still.

 

Akko open up her phone when she retrieved it from the professor at the front of the battle city, after returning her number of coarse. She turned on her phone camera to check herself in the selfie cam. It was surprising to say the least. Reasonably she should have decent number of bruises considering he had gotten a few hits in on her face. Had he? She remember at least one but she felt like the number was higher. Apparently not because the only indication of a fight on her visage was a slight red mark on the side of her face that would fade in a few hours, some light scratches on her leggings, and her ruffled hair. Guess this is the result when you spend ten years fighting against people trained to use there quirks like finely honed weapons and then downgrade to a pompous rich kid with a, probably, illegal drug to enhance his quirk and physical abilities.

 

But she couldn't let that get to her head as much as she so desperately wanted to. Any of the other participants like him would be weeded out. And the actual villains would be far more difficult in the future. So, as she stepped on the bus, as looked back at the school.

 

 Luna Nova. She was going to have to try a lot harder from now on. Starting tomorrow she would be upping her workout. Oh, well. Now she just had to wait for the letter that would either hold her acceptance, or her denial.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give Akko a way to stand in the same arena with people with quirks since the show always show them as unbeatable for those without them. I also wanted to expand the world with a reason why it would be so hard to fight a person with a quirk without one of there own. How did I do?
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated, especially on the fight scene. It made sense to me but that could just be because I wrote it. Tell me if you could follow it. 
> 
> Also if you don't know what Godan tests are; they're what certain martial artists, especially those in martial art forms originating from japan, have to pass if they want their fifth degree black belt. The test consist of the participant sitting in seiza with their back to a teacher who raises a sword into the air over their head, don't worry it's usually wooden. The teacher waits until an inter silent connection is established and then brings the sword down on the students head. The student has to sense the sword coming and dodge out of the way at the exact moment before it hits. If they can then they pass. It's actually really cool, watch a video online, I'm sure there are plenty.
> 
> I didn't have anyone Beta this one either. Tell me if it shows.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.


	3. Orientation Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's here, orientation day! Now that Akko's in what will she find? Will it be a new adventure? A new friend? A possible enemy? A mid-air pole dancer? An extremely attritive blonde? Yes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So I mentioned it last chapter, I think, but this is getting a lot more attention than I expected. And I know that I said I was going to write up a few chapters and then post one a week. But I'm impatient. I'll probably fall back into more of a schedule after this chapter but I really wanted to get this one out. Mainly because I'm a sucker for lore and that's what the majority of this chapter is, so... Yeah. Don't worry there's some good old Akko backstory in here as well so it's a fun time all around. 
> 
> I'm slowly, read: at an extremely fast pace, injecting all of my obsessions into this story. So keep a look out for those and tell me If you spot them. Anyways I don't think I have much more to say for this chapter. Leave comments because I love them. The wordy one's are the best but you don't have to leave anything more than just saying "It sucks" or "Good chapter" if you don't want to. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy. And have a wonderful day!

**Chapter 2: A Different World**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

It was a nice morning. Rainy, as she heard it often was here. But Akko liked the rain. It was calming and peaceful. To say that, that was her sole reason for liking what others would consider gloomy, poor weather, would be incorrect. Their were other reasons but she didn’t have much time to dwell on them. She had already spent enough time daydreaming and if she wanted to get there in time she would need to leave soon. At least that’s what the three alarms she had set were saying. 

****

It had been Ursula’s solution to her horrible sense of time. Hey it wasn’t that bad, she had it under control! Akko’s mind just tended to wander… a lot… Okay, so maybe it was as under control as her mother at a 50% off sale at the market. Those poor woman and children… the men didn’t fair better either… wonder if they’ll ever let Okasan back there…

****

Was she doing something? Akko felt like he had been doing something… Oh... The time.

****

And suddenly her body rocketed into action as she looked at the clock. Instantly relaxing as she noticed that she still had 45 minutes until orientation, 15 until she had to leave. Sighing as she picked up the completed paperwork in front of her, Akko began getting ready before she started daydreaming. Well, readier. Was that a word. Readier? Readyer? Redyer? Prepareder? Prêt à partir? Wait that’s French. Oh well she speaks, like… eight? Is it eight? She’s going with eight. She speaks eight languages so she didn’t blame herself for getting them confused. 

****

She had already gotten dressed, nothing fancy, just a white button up and some blue jeans. A pair of brown boots to cover her tootsies and a black leather jacket, because why not? She pulled on her jacket and sealed the envelope -if one could even call it an envelope- containing her the paperwork for her costume’s release forms. 

****

She couldn’t help but think it was stupid. There was so much security around her costume that she hadn't been aloud to take it with her when she left. She hadn’t even been allowed to send for it until her acceptance letter had arrived. And even then it required this 37 page packet of a release for to be filled out. Don’t get her wrong, she understood the need for security; her costume was technically an experimental design after all, but she had designed most of it. 

****

It was her circuitry and nerve receptor models, not Okasan’s. If they had been then this level of security would be necessary, because her mother was waaaayyyyy better than her at this stuff and made all her stuff look like a slinky with some lights super glued on. Despite what her mother said, there was no reason for this level of security over an inefficient SQ nerve circuitry rig.

****

Oh, well. She had completed all the mind numbingly boring paperwork after about two hours, rather fast if you asked her, so now all she needed to do was drop it at the- What did they call it here? Letter box? Post box? Post box sounds right.- post box and it would arrive by the second day of school if all went through without a hitch. She grabbed the packet of legal work, now enclosed in the special manila - Maaa-neellll-aaa, hah- envelope they had sent. It was more like a safe made to look like an envelope but they wanted to call it a “specialized information transfer until”, stupid name if you asked Akko. It was also heavy as all hifl, but being made entirely of steel and containing a 37 page packet didn’t really give it the chance to be light. Shoving it into her satchel as she grabbed her keys and left her apartment.

****

The post box, yep that sounded much better than letter box, was situated right outside the apartment building so that chore was easy. She dropped the _“Specialized Information Transfer Unit”_ , Akko couldn’t help but laugh at the voice she used in her head when reciting it’s name, into the big red box before walking down to the garage. 

****

She had paid extra for a special locked spot in the building’s parking garage. It was like a smaller room inside the garage that connected to a separate exit than the rest of the garage. Akko could help but find it funny that they had garages inside of the garage. A garage garage. Garage-seption. Gargecest? Okay not the last one, but it was still funny nonetheless.

****

She usually wouldn’t pay for this kind of thing, she didn’t like spending money if she didn’t need to, but she wasn’t storing just any vehicle in it. 

****

She found her garage towards the exit. It was one of the small ones, slightly bigger than a regular one-car garage. it wasn’t like she needed anything more than that. And put in her passcode. A simple one that she memorized using an old jingle that she heard on TV and never got out of her head. She waited for the light to turn green with the same cute little _“beep”_ that it always had. Chuckling a little at the small sound, she pressed the button for the door to lift up. Revealing her baby inside.

****

Well, maybe calling it her baby was a bit much. She would be upset if it was damaged or lost but it wouldn’t mean too much. Items were just items after all, no use getting too worked up over it. But she had a considerable amount of time, money, and emotional significance invested in the refurbished motorcycle that rested on the other side of the, extremely slow raising, door. 

****

She ducked under the still opening door, seriously it had been a minute already and it was barely above the ground, and strode over to the bike. It was old. Model wise that was. Most of the parts were brand new and top of the line, only slightly modified to look like the original pieces. But the model was old. Over four decades before the discovery of quirks, and five before all the crap that happened afterwards and scientific developments were halted for a century and a half. 

****

Akko wasn’t a big fan of history, it was usually extremely boring and half of the things they taught were only in the curriculum because it’s all that survived after the “Social Imperative Wars”, they were always called something different from country to country but that was what japan had deemed them, began. 

****

That said… There were some things she could appreciate about history… This motorcycle for instance. It was a 1977 Suzuki GS750, an outdated model from a company that had gone bankrupt and faded out of existence long ago during the war. It was a dangerous form of transportation, which is what made it fun thank you very much, that very few people used anymore and it’s parts were so expensive that it would be an unreasonable expense if she couldn’t just have her mother’s company fabricate and send her the pieces to build the parts. And then assemble and replace them herself in this small garage. There was hardly any room in here with the tools and machines in that lined the walls of the small cube. But it was enough and it was important to her. It had been one of the few things to get her through some of those days.

****

* * *

 

She had come home early. A young Atsuko had just arrived home from training school and was currently trying her best to hide the bandages on her waist, not that it was that hard since she could just keep her shirt on all day. If her mom saw them she would freak out… again, and give her them same lecture. Her mom loved to scold her about all the scars she had gotten from training, always saying things like _“You’ll never get a husband with all of these marks”_ or _“You were so pretty before, look at how you’ve marred your beautiful skin.”_ Couldn’t she just support her? Oh, well she hadn’t even liked the idea of Akko becoming a hero in the first place.

****

 She had been sent home by Ms. Ursula after a bunch of the other kids ganged up on her again. It was that kid Itsu-big-meany-face-shio. He had gotten the other kids to gang up on her in a group sparring match. It wasn’t fair! The instructors watching them just let it go on until Urusla had stepped in. 

****

Not that that surprised her. This wasn’t the first time it had happened. She had already been there for a year and the other kids took every chance to beat up on her, and the instructors gave them a lot of chances. Her parents had already been hesitant to let her enroll as it was and now she came home beaten and bloodied every day.

****

She had been able to whittle them down over the course of two years with plenty of pouting, chore completions, good grades, and finally the cold hard logic that it would be good for her to learn to defend herself. Now that she was actually in, there was no way she’d let them take her out. In fact she probably wouldn’t have gone home if Ursula hadn’t threatened to make her muck all the horses stall at the stables for the rest of the week. Yuck! She loved that they taught skills like horse riding and archery alongside the battle, tactical strategy -she admittedly had a hard time with that one-, first aid, and actual school lessons. But it also meant that free time was nearly non existent. And what little time she did have was usually spent being tortured with her parents teaching her things like basic laws and regulations and all the science that they do at her mother’s company, which in all honesty wasn’t that bad. They were trying to get her ready for when she inevitably, as seemingly deemed by her parents, dropped the idea of being a hero. She would probably be able to get dad to drop the law lessons if she said she wanted to learn the science stuff instead. Though it was kind of funny in a depressing sorta way. She was only nine and yet she had subjected herself to this horrid schedule. That was probably what her parents were banking on for her quitting. But Akko wasn’t a quiter!

****

She was pulled from her thoughts by her big brother standing in front of the house, guiding some men who were unloading something with a large tarp over it into the back yard. Curiosity got the best of her as she followed behind them. Watching as he had them set the thing down in the left side garage of his personal workshop, -He was an engineer who worked for a big automotive company in Osaka so he had a personal workshop at the house for when he wanted to work from home- and waited for the men to walk away after he signed something.

****

Seeing them men leave, she approached the garage and called out to her brother, _“Akira!”_ She didn’t like the honorifics or titles that most siblings would address each other by, so they would always call each other by their actual names. It wasn’t entirely uncommon, even before she was born but her parents hated it. They were very traditional, unlike her grandparents. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

****

_“You’ve lost your track again.”_ Her brother said as she arrived at the garage. 

****

_“Have not!”_

****

_“Yeah huh. I can see it one your face.”_ Her brother was right of course, but his smug smile didn’t make her anymore inclined to admit it. But it was nice, him being able to read her. Bot Akira and her older sister, Jin, could always tell when her mind would wander. They called it _“losing your track”_ based off of some joke about a “train of thought” from way back before they were born. A lot of those old saying had been lost during the war, or so the instructors told them during history.

****

_“Whatcha got?”_ Her curiosity had taken over and she couldn’t wait any longer. It also got her out of admitting that she had lost track of her thoughts again. But of course, it wasn’t subtle at all. Her brother simple gave a small chuckle and went to removing the tarp from whatever it was covering. 

****

It was strange to say the least. The tarp and everything, not what it was covering, she hadn’t seen that yet. 

****

The tarp was tented tightly over something that had a long, lumpy look. It was held over the object by three belts at different intervals down the length of the object. Each belt was fastened by a buckle and connected to a wooden platform that the whole object -or was it objects?- rested on. 

****

Akko’s curiosity only grew as her brother slowly, unfastened each belt. And she did mean slowly. He liked to mess with her and enjoyed her annoyed face when he would randomly pause on each buckle, stopping right before undoing the clasping and pretending to be lost in thought with an exaggerated thoughtful look on his face. Each time she would get to the end of her patients and ask him to hurry up he would hum and smile at her before finally undoing the clasp. He did this to each belt, increasing the interval of his pause each time. Until the pause on the last one was so long that Akko just jumped forward and undid it herself before pulling the sheet off. 

****

_“So? What do you think?”_ Akko had only a general idea of what she was looking at. It was a motorcycle. She guessed. Modern motorcycles were bulkie yet slim. If that made sense… well it did to her okay?! They were big and had a lot of area, but they also had a very sleek look. Like they were made for your body to just slide up against. 

****

Of course Akko was only nine at the time and knew very little about any form of vehicle, really only what they had been taught in class and what she had picked up from her brother and mother. But the machine in front of Akko didn’t look like those modern one’s she saw driving around. This one was long, and slim. It had curves but nowhere near as many as most vehicles nowadays. But of course her brother hadn’t been expecting her to know what it was, he just wanted her to ask so that he could gush about cars. If things were different Akko would have just waved it off and went inside, but she liked watching her brother gush about this stuff. It was interesting and she understood the basis, after all it was much simpler than half the stuff she learned from her mother. So her response was a simple one.

****

_“What is it?”_ She asked.

****

_“That, my young disciple-”_ He stood ramrod straight as he spoke. A fake, and extremely silly, impression of a great scholar on his countenance, and one hand roughly ruffling her hair to extract a few giggles before pulling back as he continuing in a normal voice. Walking over to the machine as he spoke, _-is a 1977 Suzuki GS750.”_

****

He produced two pairs of gloves, filter masks, goggles, and two aprons -one blue and one red- from a drawer in a bright red tool tower. Handing a pair of each and the red apron to Akko before retreating towards the back of the garage and digging through a large metal crate. _“It’s an extremely rare find. Especially nowadays. This things from loooong before the war.”_  

****

_“Then how did you get one?”_ Akiro had returned with some sponges and a few bottles of different cleaning products. It made sense since the motorcycle, which is what she had decided what it was despite her brothers indirect answer, looked filthy. 

****

_“This one is actually from the war.”_ He and Akko began to wipe down the individual surfaces of the bike as they spoke. Removing pieces as they went to get a better look at it. Every so often he would jot down something on a notepad the he would produce from his apron pocket. Her’s had a piece of candy when she checked. Noticing her brother smile and wink upon her checking, she decided she would save that for later.  

****

_“From the war?”_

****

_“Yep that’s right. It belonged to some rich person during the war. In the later end of the fighting they needed supplies so he volentiered it for the war effort. It lasted all the way through because the guy they gave it to put a lot of time into maintaining it.”_

****

_“Who did they give it to?”_

****

_“Not sure of the whole story, but apparently the rich guy requested that it be given to his lover. It was one of those ‘love of his life runs off to war’ type of things so he intrusted it to the man he loved to give him a reason to return after the war. Pretty romantic, right?”_

****

_“His lover?”_

****

_“Yeah… made it till the end of the war before they got him. He was pinned down on the outskirts of some place in europe. Transporting something or another back and forth. They returned the man's body and the bike together. The guy was heart broken. And refused to look at the bike for the next 70 years.”_

****

_“Really? What happened to him?”_

****

_“He’s still alive. Apparently had an age halting quirk. He was even the one who sold it to me. Said that he couldn’t bring himself to change anything about it but he didn’t want to see it rust away to nothingness. Wrench please.”_

****

Akko complied, reaching behind her to find the socket wrench he was pointing at. She handed it over before resuming her work on detaching the muffler. _“What are you gonna to do with it?”_

****

_“Hmm… Don’t know. I’ll probably just fix it up and put it on display. Maybe upgrade it every once in a while when I’m bored. Okay now let's see.”_ They had laid out all the pieces in front of them. Each one disassembled and cleaned off. Half of them were rusted or damaged too greatly to be used. _“Looks like I’ll have to replace over half the parts. I might as well just fabricate new ones entirely. Maybe I can improve the pieces while keeping the classic look. It’s hard to find these days. After the war a lot of vehicle manufacturer moved onto those new curvier models or the completely angular ones. Anything with a design like this is a rare treat.”_

****

_“Doesn’t it feel wrong?”_ He probably hadn’t been expecting her to say anything. Just nod and agree with him like she usually did. Then ask for ice cream or some other treat that would be horrible for her health as a reward for helping.

****

_“Hm?”_ Akiro turned to find Akko looking at the bike, she hadn’t known it but her expression must have seemed almost sad. 

****

_“It’s been through so much… Now you’re just gonna remake it so it can sit and do nothing?”_

****

_“Hmm…”_ He was thinking. Maybe he would change his mind. He could still fix it up and then sell it to someone. People collected things like this didn’t they? It probably wouldn’t be hard to find someone to buy it. _“How about this?”_ He had crouched down in front of Akko -He was **much** bigger than her, he was bigger than a lot of people actually- _“If you help me fix it, and learn to take care of it. I’ll teach you to ride and give it to you when we finish.”_

****

Akko hadn’t been expecting that. Where did that come from? She wasn’t even that big into motorcycles. It was just a way to get around, and she knew a little about engineering but this would be taking on a whole new task. She had wanted more free time, if she did this she could kiss that dream goodbye. But one glance at the chasse of the dismantled bike gave her an answer before she knew why. Taking her silence as hesitation her brother continued. _“Since I don’t plan on using it, you can be my apprentice for this project. I’ll teach you everything you need to know about fixing and maintaining it and then you can keep it afterwards. Think of it as a congratulations gift for getting through that horrible school of yours.”_

****

This time she didn’t hesitate to answer, _“Yes! I’ll do it.”_ She couldn’t have told you what she felt when she looked at the motorcycle. Laying on the ground dismantled. All it scars and damage were out in the open for anyone to see, even if it was only the two of them. But the idea that she could fix the damage. Take something broken and put it back together, or replace what’s missing. She probably wouldn’t ever be able to explain what she felt in that moment. What she still felt now. Every time she took the bike apart for upgrades or maintenance throughout the years. How she would ask that they use as much of the original metal from the broken pieces as possible to make new ones. Everytime she sat down to clean it. To go over the old and experience metal. It was one of the few things that she took from Japan after leaving a few months back. And it was one of the few things she hoped she would always have.

****

* * *

 

The door was finally open, god she had to replace that thing lease be damned, and the engine of her bike roared to life. It was a satisfying sound to say the least. As a matter of fact, everything about the bike was satisfying. The long, soft, black leather seat -it was one large seat that fit two people unlike todays bikes-. The cold metallic feel of the fuel tank under her hands and the airbox against her pants legs. The solid rubber and metal handles, they used to be full rubber but she liked the grip of these better so she switched them out when she got here. The bulletproof -she hadn’t specified them as such when she ordered them but hey, she wasn’t complaining- white wall tires. The red and brown paint job with the rabbit on the side of the fuel tank towards the front, she had her sister helped her with the paint job a while back and they had gone for what her sister called a “retro style”. Akko didn’t know what it meant but she’d be damned if it didn’t look good. And most importantly, the feeling of satisfaction every time it turned on. When each new modification made it just a bit better than the new fancy ones despite its old design.

****

Working on it in her free time combined with training and the time she spent at her mother’s company left her schedule packed full when she was growing up. But as she pulled out of the garage and up onto the street, -after putting on her red helmet and leather gloves, because she didn’t feel like cracking her head open or skinning her hands off if she fell, than you very much- joining the few other cars that drove around at this hour, she couldn’t help but feel that every minute of time spent on it was worth the sacrifice. And the smile that pulled at her lips was proof enough. The beating of her heart, accelerating with the speed of the bike was enough. And the shocked and interested looks she got from everyone one she drove past was enough. 

 

* * *

 

 

The drive wasn’t long. Maybe twenty or fifteen minutes if that, just barely long enough to enjoy the ride. So when she did inevitably arrive she was relieved to see that she was right on time, Ms. Ursula would be so proud. She left her bike out in the front parking lot with the parking permit she had gotten, man that had been a much bigger hassle than she had expected, -How was she supposed to know that Jasmin was a guy?! They didn’t tell her anything about him!- clipped onto the rear fender. She wasn’t about to risk her paint job for it. And headed into the main building.

****

Now all she had to do was find the auditorium… Which should be easy with the map they had given her, but apparently an alien race from the galaxy “WhatTheHellion” made it because she couldn’t even decipher what the main building was. The whole thing was huge and covered in little notes and facts, which would have been cool if they were organized but instead they just took up the whole thing and made it impossible to actually read the damned thing. 

****

Akko couldn’t help but wish that she had been here for the tour that took place throughout the summer. But she had been getting her living arrangements in order and hadn’t considered that it would be like traversing an actual labyrinth to get through the school. She was so lost that she didn’t see the person looking at a large scale version of the map in front of her. 

****

“So if that’s the weird three headed statue over there… then the auditorium would be… six miles back? AUGH! What the heck even is this pla- Woooaaahhh!” _BAAM!_ Now if anyone who knew her had heard her fall they would have thought she had run into the person, and they would have made the same mistake as Akko. Because this happened enough to her as is, but in this case that assumption was horribly wrong. But Akko didn’t know that so she instantly attempted an apology, “OH! I’m so sorry! I wasn’t… looking… Hey!” 

****

What she saw instead of a person sprawled out on the ground with her was a tall girl with puce hair and extremely pale skin, standing where she had been just a moment ago, with her foot out and a completely disinterested look on her face. “Did you just trip me?!” Akko asked with disbelief.

****

“You weren’t paying attention. If you had run into me and knocked me over, the entire school would have needed to be quarantined.” The girls poke with a monotone voice and and a completely disinterested look cast briefly at Akko. She began departing with a brief “Watch where you're going idiot.” Before heading off in the direction Akko had been walking before, and putting no effort into stepping around Akko.

****

Great, it’s not even a day in and she already managed to make a fool of herself. But luckily for Akko, her saving grace would be swooping in to save her hide right about now. As she began to pick herself up off of the ground, a small, pale hand moved into view. As Akko looked up she saw the source. The owner was a short girl with pastel-orange hair and a pair of giant circle rimmed glasses. “Are you okay?”

****

“Uh…” Great response Akko. Really put all your available brian function into that one didn’t you? Honestly… probably. Oh, yeah. Person. And I’ve just been staring off into space for, what? Three minutes? Should probably answer her… Oh yeah now! Now would be good. “Uh, yeah!” Akko grabbed her hand, using it to hoist herself up. Well partially, this girl was really small and Akko didn’t want to end up pulling her down on top of her. “Hi, my name is Atsuko Kagari! But you can call me Akko! Thanks for the help, I have a problem with not watching where I’m going.” Akko spoke as she dusted herself off.

****

“But… didn’t that other girl trip you?” Huh, so she saw that to.

****

“Well… yeah, but it’s only because I wasn’t watching where I was going… I think… Anyways! What’s your name?”

****

The girl offered a slight smile as they began walking together, “My names Lotte Yanson. It’s nice to meet you Atsu-”

****

“Akko please.”

****

“Oh, sorry. Akko. Are you going to the orientation too?”

****

“Yes! I got so lost trying to find the way that I couldn’t see that girl in front of me. I was too busy looking at the map.” Akko, as usual, was a ball of energy in everything. So she understood why Lotte jumped back at her exaggerated movements and tone. “Oh, sorry! I get a bit over excited sometimes.” Read as: literally every second she’s alive, and for a while after she dies. “Sorry if I scared you.”

****

“Oh, no, it's fine. I just wasn’t expecting it.” The girl briefly removed her glasses to clean them before resuming. “Well if you need help I can show you the way.”

****

“Really!” The girl recoiled a bit at as Akko jumped slightly towards her, beaming with delight. She’s gonna have to work on that. But then again, that’s what her parents have been telling her for the past, as-long-as-she’s-been-alive and it hasn't really worked out so far so… Maybe she should just set up an apology system. Every time she startled someone she would give them something tasty, like fruit! But that would require carrying around large quantity of fruit knowing how often she over exaggerated her movements. And it would probably get bad really quick. Maybe coupons then? No that would be like giving them a chore...

****

The girl didn’t seem to recognise Akko getting lost in her head and took the silence as a que to continue talking. “Yeah, I was here for the tour so I know the way. Did you not go?”

****

“No… I had other things to handle first so I couldn’t make it.” She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as she spoke.

****

The girl simply smiled at her as they turned and entered a pair of giant doors, entering what Akko could only assume was the auditorium. At least she hoped it was with how huge the room was. 

****

It was as if they expected giants to use it, which they honestly might have with some of the quirks Akko had seen. The whole room was easily 20 meters tall and just as wide. Why did they have such a huge room in this school?! Maybe this was why the main campus alone was considered an entire town! Because they put giant rooms like this all over the place. Who knows, but when you add in all the extra estate the school has for its battle cities, extra curricular buildings which include a gun range, two archery ranges, the two gyms, the separate buildings for the cafeteria and it’s two libraries, not to mention all the other random buildings and fields for every sport and activity imaginable -Akko would have listed them off but she honestly didn't remember half of them, that’s how many there are!- you couldn’t help but wonder, for the second time now in Akko’s case, how they funded it all.

****

Akko was having such a hard time beiliving it that she paused in the doorway to the auditorium and was only brought out of her thoughts when someone cleared their throat behind her.

****

“Ahem.” Akko whirled around to find three people standing behind her. One with auburn hair and what Akko could only describe as a “you’ve kicked three puppies in my mind already and I’m judging you for it” face. One with black hair whole looked like she had just seen something slightly disappointing. And the one who stood in front of them with an interesting two toned tea-green, platinum-blond hair color. Now how could Akko describe this one? Well the only thing that came to mind was an old quote that she heard in passing once, and it went like this; “Hot damn.” But she was once again brought out of her thoughts as the three of them passed by, the blond haired one speaking again, “While I’m aware that the school houses an untold number of awe inspiring rooms, you would find it in your best interest to take a seat instead of gawking. The orientation is about to start after all and you would want to upset Ms. Finnelan.” 

****

All Akko could manage before she had disappeared was a small, “Yeah… okay.” Ignoring the snickering of the two girls who followed and the “What a creep” and “Does she even belong here” that they uttered as they went, Akko noticed that Lotte had already disappeared and she was left to find somewhere to sit by herself. 

****

Scanning the room as she walked through the aisle she noticed a number of things. One being that there were only a few clusters of open seats left, another being a few of the more rambunctious students -that one with the orange and pink hair was somehow doing some sort of mid-air pole dance with a janitor's broom- , and the final was that she had about five seconds to take a seat. Which she managed by taking the closest on she could find, next to a boy with blond hair talking rather annoyedly with another boy with slicked brown hair. They were both wearing some form of dress attire funnily enough. 

****

But before their conversation could continue any further, the woman from yesterday, Ms. Finnelan if Akko remembered correctly, and an older woman walked up on stage.

****

“Attention everyone!” It was Finnalen who called everyone’s attention. “The orientation is beginning, please provide your undivided attention towards the front. The orientations should only last about an approximate 30 minutes, barring questions and interruptions. Please save all questions until after the presentation.”

****

Once she had finished her whole spheal, she stepped back and the older woman stepped forward. She had a kind and loving face that Akko could only describe as ‘grandmotherly’, and her voice matched her appearance as she spoke, “Hello everyone. Welcome to Luna Nova’s orientation ceremony, and congratulations on passing the entrance exams. You’ve all worked hard to be here and deserve the utmost respect for your hardships and hard work. But I want to warn you before the school year begins; it will only get harder from here on out. You’ve all gotten into the school one way or another: some of you have trained all your life, some of you have had talent and skill handed to you and progressed it further with your own devotion, some of you have been handed disadvantages your whole life and overcame hardship after hardship with nothing but your spirit and wit, some of you have been bred for this life from birth, and most of you are a combination of a few. But beyond that you are all now Luna Nova students and heroes in the making, and will be expected to act as such. Going forward into the future and for the remainder of your time here you will be put into teams of three. These teams are designed to group you with the people whom you are most likely to succeed with. They will be the people you share a dorm with if you decide to live on campus, they are the people whom you will perform training exercises with, they are the people you will be expected to eat lunch with, and they are the people whom will accompany you on school sanctioned missions. So it would probably be a good idea to get along with them.” A small smile graced her lips as she paused for a moment, glancing at Finnalen, who was gesturing to her watch, before returning to her speech.

****

 “Well it seems Anne over here is suggesting that I hurry up, but it she forgets that I haven’t even introduced myself yet so she’ll have to just wait a bit now won’t she?” She earned a few chuckles and a very unamused glare from Finnalen. “You may all address me as headmistress Holbrooke. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Now as I was saying before. The next four years of your life won’t be easy, in fact they may be the most difficult that you have ever endured. And many of you will drop out before you get to the end. But know that if you can push past the difficulties and overcome any obstacles that face you, than you shall graduate among the most skilled and powerful heroes of your generation. It will be a long, arduous process but I have the utmost faith in all of you.”

****

So far the ceremony seemed pretty by the numbers; welcome the students, say that it’s going to be a challenging school year but we believe in you, tell them where to pick up their uniforms, close curtains. But it was the next part of the speech that not only caught Akko’s attention, not that she hadn't been listening… okay she might have been, just slightly, zoning out. She was still hearing and understanding everything siad, she just wasn’t very invested in hearing the same speech she had guessed almost word for word the night before. But what was said next brought her out of her stupor.

****

“Now that I’ve thoroughly droned on and on, the newest member of our staff will come share some important information with you and close us out. Ms. Ursula, would you mind?”

****

Now if that wasn’t heart attack inducing, then Akko didn’t know what was. It couldn’t possibly be the same person could it? Akko couldn’t bring herself to hope but when she saw the familiar blue hair and awkward walk moving up onto the stage, well it took all of her mental strength and maturity not to run up and tackle her off of the stage. And when she started talking Akko knew it couldn’t be anyone else. 

****

“Yes, headmistress.” she turned to look out over the students, a small smile on her face and her eyes blocked by that same impossible light glare that they always had. “Welcome everyone. My name is Professor Ursula and I’ll be joining the staff this year. If you need anything at all come talk to me and the staff will see to it.” she glanced back at Finnelan, cringing from the angry glare she received before continuing. With a cough, “Right well, we have some important information for you regarding this school year. Because of the increase in villain activity as of late we shall begin hero training much sooner in the year. We shall begin official training the second week of school as opposed to the fourth, which would be the standard.”

****

After getting over her initial shock of her favorite instructor transferring over to work at her new school, Akko began to think about the information as Ursula presented it. Earlier training? Well that was just fine with Akko, she was going to start the first day anyways so it didn’t really matter to her. 

****

“Second, there has been an increase in the number of dangerous creatures appearing in the Arcturus forest. And as a precaution; students and civilians are no longer allowed to enter unless instructed to by a professor or other professional hero. Training exercises will still take place there but you will no longer be allowed to enter on your own.”

****

The forest of Arcturus. Akk had read about it before. A giant forest that had sprouted up around the area that would eventually become Luna Nova. Supposedly planted by the founder of Luna Nova, the nine old heroes. Though that was only a rumor, and probably impossible. It’s one of only 7 places in the world to act as a home to an entire ecosystem of animals with quirks. It was also somewhere that Akko could not wait to go. Most people would say that running head first into a literal forest of monsters and deadly plants was a bad or unhealthy thing to do. But Akko was just impulsive and reckless enough to say that it was an amazing idea. And while she wasn’t proud of that, it certainly wasn’t something she was ashamed of.

****

“And the final piece of news is in regards to those who will be dorming. As of now you will be staying in the current dorm building but you will be moved into the new dorms as soon as the construction of the building is finished. Now I’ll turn the program over to Ms. Finnalen.” 

Ah, the dorms. Well that didn’t really matter that much to Akko. She lived in an apartment in the city. But it is impressive that they’re still building on to the school despite it huge size.

****

“This marks the end of the orientation ceremony.” Why did Finnelan always sound angry. Well now that she thought about it Akko could probably guess that it had something to do with kids like the one who was dancing earlier. A student who was now hilariously duct taped to her seat by another, much shorter girl. Hah. “You can pick up your uniform at the registrations building just down the lane. You will also receive your official student ID, your team registration, the personalized schedule assigned to you, your class room number and rank, and the school’s handbook of rules and regulations. I suggest that you read and familiarize yourself with them all now that you are an upstanding student of Luna Nova. Are there any questions?”

****

There was a beat of silence accompanied by some hushed whispers. “Very well then. You are all dismissed. The school year officially starts on monday. You are expected to be on time.” With that all three of the people on the stage walked off, an act that was followed by the exit of every student in the auditorium. Including her. She wanted to go after Ursula but she would probably just end up getting lost… again. So she resigned herself to waiting until monday. 

****

The walk over to the registration building wasn’t very long. In fact it only took a couple of minutes. Akko couldn’t help but laugh at the actual digitally locked, bulletproof, briefcase that they handed to her when she presented her temporary ID. Just as she couldn’t help but smile as they told her not to open it until she got to “secure location”. What was this, a school for secret agents? But seeing as the laughing had attracted the ire of some of the aristocratic kids, either that or it was the fact that they had just been given a student registry and could now accurately identify her as the one quirkless kid who got in. Mainly because it was the only thing stored in a side pocket on the outside of the giant briefcase, more like a suitcase if you asked Akko. Great… Now they’d be all over her for the rest of the next four years. So deciding she'd rather not get jumped before the first day, she’d gladly take them on later just not right now, she made her way back to her bike.

****

After, tactfully, dodging the three girls from earlier -altho she wouldn’t have minded talking to the tall pretty one- and a few other groups of kids, some of which were definitely searching for someone. Whether it was her or not, she didn’t know, but the angry expressions they wore did not entice her to stay to find out. By the third individual group she couldn’t help but wonder if they were actually looking for her and if so, why they were so angry. Well the obvious was still a likely cause but these people looked absolutely pissed. She finally made it to her motorcycle, attached the suitcase to the back, and threw on her helmet just as a group of kids spotted her. And, yeah… if the way they were running and shouting was any indication, then they were definitely after her. To bad for them, she was already halfway down the winding driveway that lead in and out of the school.

****

The rest of the drive home was uneventful. There wasn’t any traffic, which would have meant a relaxing ride if she wasn’t spending it on the obligatory ‘dreading the next four years of dodging imminent death from her peers’ thoughts that follow any escape from a school of people who hate you. But the lack of traffic did leave the ride relatively shorter than the one there. 

****

She went through her regular routine upon arriving back at her apartment. Wait for that stupidly slow door to open, pull the bike in, wipe the motorcycle down real quick, put her helmet back on the shelf, head back upstairs, run back down when she realized she forgot the suitcase on her work bench, and then go all the way back up to her apartment, remember that she still had a loooot of errands to do today, run back down, get on her bike, and go run the errands. 

****

* * *

 

By the time she had gotten home she had almost forgotten about the suitcase in its entirety. Which lead to a much too long moment where she thought that an interdimensional hobo and or space man had come to live in her apartment. But after realizing that it was indeed her information from school, and finishing her dinner, she sat down to finally open it. 

****

The passcode for the case was her student ID number, kinda simple considering they put the information in an electronically locked, bulletproof suitcase that looked like it came straight out of one of those horrible cheesy spy movies. Why would they even need to give the info out like this?  Was someone trying to steal her class schedule? Oh, no someone was going to steal her unused school uniform! Not like she couldn’t just buy another one from the school store after reporting the theft. 

****

The inside of the case was padded with her schedule and ID laying at the top of the pile of paperwork. After admiring the amazing, in her opinion, picture of her for the ID for a moment or two. She might have made some kissy faces and finger guns at it… But no one could prove it! She slid it into her wallet and set the schedule aside to memorize later. After the schedule was the rule book, which she did actually read. Well… skimmed, but she got the basics! 

****

Next were two pairs of the school uniform. Nothing special; white button up, dark purple wool skirt and vest with the school’s coat of arms on the vests (three hands intertwined over a very detailed tree with some fancy designs along the edge), knee socks -she’d be wearing her stocking but it was nice to have just in case-, brown leather ankle-high boots, a pair of purple knee-high leather boots, a double breasted wool suit jacket coat of arms on them as well, red wool sashs, and red ribbon ties. The jacket was structures and Akko was debating removing some of the padding, she had already planned on pining the skirt up higher anyways and it's not like she needed the padding. She was in great shape! Oh, well she was allowed to slightly alter the uniform, she had read so in the rule book, so she would just bring one to the tailor. The fact it was pinstriped was nice though. It was the tasteful kind where you could only see the thin white strips from up close.

****

She laid the uniforms aside and moved on. Under it was her team registration and class number. Her rank was supposed to be listed next to her name on the student registry but she hadn’t looked at it yet. Which was completely understandable considering she had been dodging angry, quirk welding students, out for blood! Okay, _maybe_ that was an exaggeration but she wasn’t going to find out through experience. Akko still had no reason as to why they were so aggressive though. The kids at the other school had been pissed by her attendance as well but they hadn’t been nearly as out for her as these had. They just cornered her in practices or after classes. These punks here actually tried to chase her down!

****

At least Akko hadn’t had any idea why they were so angry. She had been thinking about it the whole day. But now that she could see her rank she understood perfectly. The classes at Luna Nova were set up so that the most capable were grouped together, based on the rank you got from the entrance exam. You would be in the same basic classroom with the same people for the next four years, only splitting up when you went to specialized classes. Kind of a broken system if you ask Akko, but hey, who’s she to complain? Apparently number eight! That’s who! She did a little dance as she jumped with glee. Suck it aristocrats! Suck it entitled hero kids! That’s why they were all so angry! They were jealous that some quirkless foreigner came out of nowhere and upstaged them! 

****

And then all at once the true implications hit her. She was in the top ten… which meant that every one of the other students were going to be pissed off as hell that they were upstaged by a quirkless foreigner. And if today was any indication they weren’t going to take it sitting down. Crap.

****

Akko’s but hit the couch as she sunk in as deep as possible. Well it wasn’t all bad. These kids had reputations right? At least they’d avoid anything in public. Right… possibly? And at least seven of her classmates would be higher ranked. So it’s possible that she could survive. Right? And maybe she could win over her teammates. Oh, her teammates. She still had no idea who they were.

****

As she came to terms with how sucky this year was bound to be, she sat up and grabbed her team registration. Maybe she could get some good team mates, right… please? But as she recognized the two people on the form her heart both sank and cheered. On was Lotte. The small girl who helped her out, apparently rank 16. Dang, Akko can safely say that she hadn’t expect that short, soft looking girl to be much of a threat. Oh well, at least she could probably count on her to be nice… probably.

****

But the second one was much ifier. Ifier? Ifyer? Iffier? If-er? She’s going with ifier. It was the girl who tripped her earlier in the day. Sucy Manbavaran, apparently. The only saving grace was her rank. Number two. Now while it scared her that if Sucy didn’t actually like her, she would have the number two rank gunning for her head, the upside was that if she did win over Sucy then she could have the number two on her side. What was the likeliness of that happening? Probably low… But she was still willing to try!

****

“Ugh...” Akko feel back into her bed as she heaved a sigh of exasperation. This was going to be interesting. Oh well, for now she needed a cold shower. And a long night's sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys remember that part of MHA where Izuku mentions that there was a huge period of time where scientific advancement just stopped because of quirks? Because I do. And since the show never elaborates on that I decided to go into it a bit. Writing lore is much harder than I thought, because I've built this whole world, based off of an already existing one but it still counts okay, and all I wanna do is tell you everything at once but then I can't. 
> 
> Also, how do you like the back story that I've given Akko so far? Was all the info about her motercycle to much? Speaking of which, there are quite a few different models for that bike I mentioned in the story. They all look basicly the same but there is one model in particular that I had in mind. If I ever learn how to post pictures in this thing then I'll put an image of the basic model in, it woun't have the color scheme I was thingk of but hey, beggars can't be choosers. 
> 
> And one more thing before I end this. I originally posted this as anonymous, at least I think I did, because I'm not confiden't in my writing skill and wasn't really comfortable in putting my name out there yet. But this seems to be getting a better reaction than I expected. So if it keeps getting attention then I might honestly just take it out of anonymous. Or not. I've also heard that it's just easier to post it in anonymous for pressure reasons, so I might keep it. I don't know yet.
> 
> Don't expect the next chapter to come out as quickly as the last two. I want to try and set up more of a schedule going forward so I'll probably attempt to stock pile some chapters.
> 
> Anyways, tell me how I did! Did you like Akko's backstory? was the pacing wierd? Did the whole digression with the flash back confuse or bore you? Can you tell that no one betaed this?
> 
> Tell me what you think! I won't reply to any comments because I'm socially awkward and I think you will be able to see my user name if I do and that would go agianst the whole, anonymous thing. But still comment please! Have a wonderful day!


	4. New Reunions!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko and Ursula have some tea! No, really... That's all that happens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So only a few quick notes before this chapter. Don't worry it's just a few clarification things.
> 
> First is that the characters are aged up in this. I know I've dropped hints towards this in previous chapters but I just wanted to make sure that everyone understood that. Everyone in the main cast is around 18-19 in this. 
> 
> Second is that Luna Nova isn't a hero high school, It's a hero college. It's a small detail but I thought I should add it in.
> 
> Third: None of the characters will be copy pasted versions of the MHA character's personalities. They may get close because some of the cast have little to no development in the actual show. But I'm not going to just take the personality of one of the MHA characters and shove them onto a LWA character.
> 
> The fourth is that things written in italics will usually represent when a character is speaking in a different language and I still want you to be able to understand it. When this is the case I'll always let you know within the text some how.
> 
> And finally; there will be other ships in this fic. I plan to add Hamanda and possibly some Sulotte. But I'm not entirely sure at the moment. And the main focus will be on Diakko, because it's my favorite so it will get the most attention. Sorry, I'm biased. Anyways, enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Will I Finally Be Free?**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 

It had been a good day so far. Well, a productive day at the least. But hey, a productive day is a good day! At least that’s what Akko thought. The weather could have been better in Akko’s opinion. But so few people agreed with her opinion so it didn’t really matter.

 

At least that’s what Akko thought to herself as she rested against the handlebars of Jerry, she named her bike Jerry… Okay she didn’t name it Jerry. But the thought of naming her motorcycle ‘Jerry’ did elicit a few chuckles from her. Which was probably weird for any onlookers. Just a girl in red leather, on a motorcycle that you’d see in an old period peace, laughing to herself as she stared out into thin air. And it’s not like she was in front of anything in particular. She had just parked a few blocks away from a café where she had planned on eating at. 

 

Maybe she should get a second motorcycle… Like not one of those new one’s or anything. Those looked stupid most of the time. Like another classic that she could work on. Something big and gaudy, just to see people’s reactions when she drove it… Nah, on second though it probably wasn’t such a good idea. She’d have to do upkeep on two bikes and she’d end up neglecting one over the other. Plus her motorcycle was perfect anyways… But Akira did mention that he had gotten another oldie in recently… 

 

A slight -well if you can call a vibration intense enough to pull a scatter brain like her out of their thoughts ‘slight’- vibration and chime from her pocket brought her out of her thoughts. It wasn’t a text or anything, just one of the reminders from the app that Ursula had made for her all those years ago. Yeah, an entire app. The whole thing was a complicated time management system that no one in their right mind, so any one who wasn’t Akko, would understand. 

 

It had all sorts of cool little things in it; custom animated chibis and sprites, a calendar, alarms, a checklist, etcetera. It was honestly very impressive for a woman who had been caught talking into her phone backwards several times. Yeah… Ursula wasn’t the best with tech. 

 

Akko chuckled to herself again as she began to unlocked her phone, humming the tune she used to remember the pass code all the while. When it opened up she was met with a pop up screen comprised of a tiny Ursula chibi with a stern look and a message. It had a short animation of her tapping her foot and pointing at the message next to her, a reminder for one of the tasks on her checklist. One that she had just finished earlier that morning. So  she continued humming gingerly as she closed out the message and navigated to the checklist, tapping on the box next to the task,  _ “Get Rider settled in the schools stables.”  _ Written in Japanese of course. The chibi of stern Ursula was instantly replaced by a happier version holding a thumbs up, and followed by a happy little jingle of chimes. 

 

Akko smiled brightly as she removed her helmet. A breeze picked up right as she pried the red 3/4ths helmet off of her head. Bracing herself against the cool air, Akko took a moment to reflect. Well, reflect was a generous term. It was more like staring off into space as the last ten years of her life played through her mind. She didn’t really think about anything… just remembering. As the events from the last few days teetered around in her head, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of warm delight in her chest. 

 

She had made it! She was here! In England! At Luna Nova, as a student! And Ursula was here too!

 

She gingerly stepped off of her bike, tethering her helmet to one of the loops on the back, she really needed to attach those saddlebags that she had left back home. Maybe she could get Akira to send them over later on. But for now she’d have to deal with this. Besides she still had the other helmet back at the apartment if this one got stolen. Her brother had bought himself a blue version of her helmet when they had first started riding lessons. He really liked blue didn’t he? Akko could admit that it was a nice color, red just seemed sooooo much better, so it’s usually what she went with. And why shouldn’t she! It’s the color of victory, strawberries -the best fruit, and she will fight you over that-, Chariot’s hair, Akko’s eyes… and blood. But that last one was completely inconsequential, she swears! 

 

...What was she doing again?

 

It was then that her phone went off again. Pulling her out of her thoughts for, honestly, the eighth time today. She looked down at her phone as she activated the anti-theft features on her bike with her keys. What? The bike only  _ looks _ old. In reality it's packed full of the newest and most advanced tech, including an anti theft mechanism that lets out a low power electric shock if the bike is moved more than a few inches or tampered with in any way while it’s activated. Even just opening the fuel lid administers a shock that can knock the unexpected theft out for the next two hours. It also has some other security measures but they’re more basic than the shock.

 

She looked down at her phone to see one of the daily reminders flashing on the screen. It read: “Remember to eat!” 

 

Oh, Right! Yeah, she was just about to do that. It’s why she had driven all the way out here. Every Sunday, when she was in Japan, her and Ursula would have tea and a late lunch in a little, french styled cafe. It had been there little tradition for the past 9 years. Since Ursula had become her mentor and one year after she enrolled in the training school. And, admittedly, It was only a ‘tradition’ -maybe routine was a better word for it- because Akko was horrible about reminding herself to eat. Not that she didn’t like eating, carbo loading is important for muscle growth, she just gets so caught up in whatever she’s doing that things like eating slip her mind. And sleeping… And sometimes breathing, but that was once and it was a special circumstance!

 

So when she noticed and almost identical café only ten minutes from her apartment, she knew she couldn't not go. It would have been heresy! Was that a word? Probably. 

 

As she stepped up towards the big, iron gate entrance -oooh fancy- of the café, named Last Wednesdays Society apparently, she couldn’t help but feel the giddiness return. She had done it! She did! Suck it… well almost everyone at that school! She had finally seen the last of that horrible place. She was away… Away from everyone who said she couldn’t become a hero. Away from the kids who tried to beat and mock her. Away from the instructors who stood and let them! Away from the country that won’t accept her! Away from the parents that never could… And best of all, one of the only people who treated her like an actual person was here! 

 

Ursula had come here! She would be teaching at Luna Nova! Akko couldn’t wait to find her. To thank her. To tell her how much it meant to have her support all these years...

 

But Akko couldn’t think about that right now, as there was someone tapping on her shoulder. Probably because she had been standing in the middle of the walkway. Staring off into space… for ten minutes now… Oh well. Not the first time it had happened and Akko doubted it would be the last. Hm… Maybe she could convince Akira to name that new bike ‘Jerry’. She’d gotten him to do crazier things before… What’s that tapping?

 

… OH YEAH THE PERSON! Akko whirled around with an apology ready, expecting an annoyed customer who just wanted to go inside and eat like a normal person would. But instead she was met with the knowing smirk and playful eyes of a familiar face, dressed in a purple sundress and her signature glasses. 

 

It seems that Ursula had seen this place as well. At least it’s the only way that Akko could think of to explain how Ursula found her here. But then again this is Ursula, super-mentor and super-hero extraordinaire. She could probably find something buried two thousand feet into the Atlantic. Oh…

 

“URSULA!” Akko shouted as she pounced on to her mentor. Squeezing her with all her might, something that she would usually refrain from because she’s obscenely strong and most people would be hurt by her hugs. But this is Ursula! She’s indestructible! There was an incident in the second year of training school where a villain with a tank for a head, Akko doesn’t know how you get a quirk like that but if she said it wasn’t one of the coolest things she’d ever seen then she would be lying, attacked the school and Ursula  _ Tanked  _ -HAH- one of his shots with her face! No really! She headbutted the tank shell and brushed it off like it was nothing! Literally, she did the whole dusting motion after the dust cleared and everything. She then sent him through one of the reinforced concrete and titanium walls, with only two punches! She then proceeded to carry his unconscious body to the holding cell herself. She’s a certified badsass! And yes Akko did mean bad _ sass _ . If thinking a rude word invoked horrible images of her mother charging at her with soap then thinking an actual  _ curse word _ would bring down all the fury of Ursula and her mother combined! Literal Armageddon…

 

“It’s good to see you Akko.” Ursula lightly patted her head as she chuckled. “But I think you’ve lost your tracks again.” Ursula was friends with her family, well… her brother and sister, but that’s still family! So they liked to exchange little sayings.

 

“Sorry…” Akko rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she let go of Ursula. “I’m just so excited to see you! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Luna Nova?” Akko wasn’t particularly hurt by Ursula hiding that little fact, after all it’s not like they were related or Ursula had to tell Akko anything. It just would have been nice to know. But even though it didn’t hurt her feeling all that much, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to mess with Ursula at least a bit by putting on her pouting face. 

 

But Ursula just gave her a small knowing smile as they entered the café. “Stop fake pouting.”

 

“How do you know I’m faking?” 

 

“Because your real pouting face actually works.”

 

“Hey!” Akko glared at her indignantly. “Are you saying I’m a bad liar?!”

 

“Yes. You are, without a doubt, the worst liar I have ever met. It’s how I always caught you in your little schemes.” Well… she wasn’t wrong… “Of course I’m not. Now tell me about how you’ve been settling in.”

 

Oh, Akko must have said that out loud. Oh well. “The apartment complex is pretty nice,” Akko began as they sat down at a patio table. It had a nice view of the street, Akko liked watching the cars drive by as they talked and waited to order. “It’s close enough to the school that I don’t have to worry about waking up too early to get there in time.”

 

“So you plan on actually sleeping this year?” Ursula smirked as she scanned the menu.

 

“Hah! Sleep is for the weak! Being close means I can get more work out time in. And I get to work on Ark longer! I got the pieces in for it’s new engine and I can’t wait to see how it runs!” Ark,  _ is _ what she named her bike. More specifically, it was Radiant Ark. Much better than ‘Jerry’ if you ask her. Of course that didn’t matter right now as Ursula was giving her the ‘Mom stare* TM ’. Great…

 

“You need to take care of yourself Akko.” Her voice wasn’t angry, if anything it was neutral. But it still made Akko wince all the same. They only talk neutral if your in trouble.

 

“I know… It’s just hard.” Their drinks arrived and Ursula took the moment to think as Akko stared into her drink. She had tea, nothing fancy just green tea with some sugar. She would have much rather had one of those fruity drinks but they were bad for you and she had decided to only eat healthy for maximum gains from her workout.

 

Ursula let out a drawn out sigh as Akko took a sip of her tea. “I know it’s hard Akko, but we’ve talked about this haven’t we? If you want to be a hero you have to take care of yourself. And that means eating, drinking, sleeping, and basic hygiene.” Her tone shifted to a more stern sounding voice. Akko really didn’t want to hear the lecture that was about to come if she didn’t stop it.

 

“I know, I know. It just seems like a waist. I could be getting so much more work done and it feels wrong to spend that time not doing something!” It wasn’t a lie… But it wasn’t the whole truth. And Ursula knew this, Akko knew she did. But it seems she decided against pushing the issue any further. Instead diverting to a different line of conversation.

 

“Oh, congratulations on getting in! I knew you’d be able to do it. And before you ask; I wasn’t allowed to have any input in the admissions decisions. So you earned your place and your rank, all on your own.” A soft warmth found its way into Akko’s heart. Of course she knew that Ursula hadn’t had anything to do with her acceptance -It wouldn’t have made any sense to have the teacher they just hired giving admissions decisions- but it made her feel all the more accomplished either way. So you wouldn’t blame her for the beaming smile that worked its way onto her face.

 

“Thanks! I know you wouldn’t give me any help anyways, but it’s good to hear it from you.” And it was true. Why would Ursula give her any help? She had trained and prepared her for this moment for the past nine years, to cheat and give her a leg up would be like spitting in the face of all Akko’s hard work. “Now, tell me how you got here!” Akko pointed her fork at Ursula as their food was set down in front of them. Akko hadn’t gotten any thing special; just some fruit and a chicken wrap with lots of vegetables. Ursula had gotten almost the same thing but her wrap had steak instead of chicken. 

 

“Akko, pointing is rude.”

 

“So is not telling me that you were coming to teach at Luna Nova. I thought I’d have to deal with this place all on my own!”

 

“Akko I-”

 

“Do you know how close I was to getting jumped the first day of school! I had to make a daring escape from a horde of enraged classmates!”

 

“Akko it’s rude to interrupt people.” Usually Akko would have held her angry face even against the accusation of being rude. But there was something about Ursula’s stare that really got to Akko. After a mumbled apology, and weak fruit stabbing, Ursula resumed talking. “And I am sorry that I couldn’t tell you about the transfer. I have some business to deal with here so I’ll be everywhere for the first few weeks of school, but I plan on upping your regimen once I get back.”

 

“You’ll be training me!” Akko gave a little squeal of delight as she bit down on a fork full of kiwi. The sequel was from a combination of delight at both Ursula’s mentorship and the delicious fruit.

 

“Calm down.” Ursula shook her head as she chuckled. “I won’t be the only one training you, I just plan on continuing to supervise your training. And it sounds like you’ll need it if you’re getting ‘jumped’ before the first day. Who was trying to ‘jump’ you anyways?”

 

“A bunch of butt hurt aristocrats. They were upset that I got ranked higher than them.”

 

“Oh? That sounds plausible. Though I wish you would use a different term, but the kids from wealthy families spend all their live training there quirks. It’s understandable that they would be upset.”

 

“Aristocrat is the  _ most  _ polite term I’ll use to describe them. And maybe that’s why they all ranked under me. The kid I fought had to cheat and still lost. It was like he expected his quirk to make up for the fact he had never been in a fight.” Ursula gave her a weary look as she paused mid bite. Her fork hovered just in front of her mouth as she spoke.

 

“He cheated? How?”

 

“He took a little, green pill after I punched his lights out. After he took it his quirk went crazy. It’s like the pill gave him a power boost or something.” Akko shrugged nonchalantly as she took a bite out of her wrap.

 

“A pill, huh…” Ursula looked lost in thought for only a moment before shaking herself out of it. “Well that sounds like quite the impressive feat. I haven’t been able to watch any of the exam feeds because of the workload yet.”

 

“You haven’t?” 

 

“No, sadly I’ve been bogged down with work since I left Japan. I’ve been hard pressed to find any free time at all. But the whole student registry in my phone so I can check everything I need to when I get some time. Though the rest of the teachers at the school seem to love giving me all the extra work.”

 

“Oh… Well most of the teachers are ex-heroes so a lot of them are old and lazy.” Her remark earned a small giggle.

 

“You shouldn’t talk bad about your predecessors Akko.” Though Ursula’s smile and tone gave her amusement away despite her opposition.

 

“Haha, your probably right…” And then something dawned on Akko. Something that she hadn't realized from Ursula’s earlier complaints. “Wait…” It couldn’t be right? There’s no way Ursula hasn’t looked, even just at hers. Right? “You said you haven’t looked at any of the student’s files?”

 

Ursula gave her a questioning look before answering. “Yes, I haven’t had time to so much as glance at them. This is actually the only time I’ve been able to eat lunch away from the school. Why?”

 

“So you don’t know what rank I got?” Suddenly the look on Ursula’s face shifted to one of embarrassed panic as she hesitated for only a moment before rapidly fumbling with her phone. “O-oh. I’m so sorry Akko! I just got so caught up and didn’t even think tha- Oh…”

 

A moderate silence followed as Ursula scanned the statistics and ranking on Akko’s profile. A cocky smirk graced Akko’s countenance as she propped her elbows against the table and rested her chin in her hands. “So?”

 

It took Ursula a moment to actually reply, “I guess that explains why the kids who attempted to ‘jump’ you were so mad.”

 

Akko jumped in her seat, on hand pointing to the sky as the other clenched into a fist that she held into the air. Head going back and eyes closed as she spoke with a raised voice, “I expect praise and pampering!”

 

“Akko lower your voice.”

 

“Not until I receive praise!” Her raised voice drew the attention of one of the other tables around the. They sent glares at the duo as Ursula let out a sigh of exasperation before smiling.

 

“You did wonderful Akko. You earned your spot and the statistics from the physical exam prove so.” Oh, Akko had completely forgotten about that.

 

The entrance exams were a three part test. You had to pass both of the first two exams to be allowed to participate in the entrance exam. First was the physical exam, if you weren’t healthy enough to maintain the hero life style than you wouldn’t be allowed to move forward. Next was the written exam, a hero had to be intelligent as well as strong. And finally was the practical exam. Akko had no problem with the physical exam whatsoever. She would even bet she got the top scores after seeing all the other participants. Most of them were fit, but most of them didn’t go beyond the build of an average high school athlete. 

 

Akko, on the other hand, had chosen to go to a training school instead of a regular one. Most of the aristocrat’s kids would choose a superior education over the extra training so it wasn’t even a matter of consideration for them. And on top of that they were nauseatingly confident that all they needed to win was to train their quirks. Idiots. Akko always thought it was stupid to put all your fiath in one ability. 

 

“So…” Ursula took another sip of tea, probably choosing not to acknowledge that Akko’s mind had been wondering. Again. “Are you excited for your first day?”

 

Akko shot up in her chair, voice raising well above the appropriate volume. “YOU KNOW I AM!”

 

“Akko, volume!” Akko winced slightly, smiling apologetically at the tables and staff around them.

 

“Sorry… I’m just so excited! Starting tomorrow, I’m on the road to being a real hero! Just like Shiny Chariot.” She said the last sentence a little lower. Her words lacked the energy of her normal speech, but the intensity and passion in the statement was palpable. 

 

“Akko… You should know that people here don’t have a very good opinion of Chariot. It’ll be even worse than back in Japan.”

 

“I know.” People all over the world hated Chariot. It was nothing new to Akko, but she still couldn’t help but be a little disappointed every time she was reminded.

 

“In Japan she had retained a little popularity as the hero of ‘Lunar’s Fall’. But here, even that doesn’t save her reputation. It would be best if you keep Chariot talk to a minimum.” 

 

Akko placed her fork on her now empty plate. Connecting her hands as she stretched them over her head. “Yeah I know… But still, I’m not going to hide the fact that she’s my inspiration. She saved my life, so it’s only fair that I not abandon her.”

 

Ursula let out a defeated sigh as she set her almost empty tea cup down. “Well I suppose that’s the best I could ask for… Just promise not to do anything reckless.”

 

“Ha!” She winced for the third time as a waiter brought over their check, without even asking if they were done. They must really be tired of her. Maybe she should try again in the restraint department. Deciding to start right now she continued in a lower voice. “Do you even realize who your talking to? I’m the queen of acting rationally.”

 

Ursula fixed her with an unimpressed stare as she searched for her card. “Really, is that so?”

 

Akko returned her look with a cocky smirk. “Yeah, I’m so rational that I’ll be paying for this meal.” Akko pulled her card from her wallet with a swift movement of her hand. Attempting to place the card down before Ursula could stop her. But she wasn’t quick enough, as Ursula swiped the card from her fingers mid movement and placed her own down with the check.

 

“You know I’ll never let you pay for one of these don’t you?” She smiled with faux sweetness as the waiter took the check away and Ursula handed Akko her card back. All Akko could do was grumble as she put the card away.

 

“Oh, I’ll pay for it one of these days. I have more chances now that you’ll be here living here to.”

 

“That you may, but not before I’m decrepit and slow.” She brought her cup up to finish off the last of the tea.

 

“Ha, you mean when I’m faster than you. We both know that you’ll still be kicking but long after I’ve lived to be one hundred and died of old age, so I'll just have to get faster!” A few moments of silence followed as Ursula opted to dawn a sad smile rather than answer. Akko's mind too the silence as a signal to wonder and she began to compare their outfits. 

 

She hadn't actually paid much attention to the differences before now. But it was kind of funny when she did. Ursula was dressed in a simple, purple sundress. She had a large bowknot straw hat, her regular oval glasses, and a pair of simple mary jane shoes to match the dress. Meanwhile, Akko was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, red boots, a black V-neck t-shirt, her armings -it’s a black, skin tight, long sleeve undershirt that’s not actually called armings, but the name makes her laugh, and they remind her of leggings but for arms, so it’s what Akko likes to call it-, a red leather jacket and her red leather gloves, she had taken them off to eat though. They honestly couldn’t be on farther ends of the fashion spectrum, well maybe if Akko had spikes on her jacket… But besides that. Akko was sitting here like a K-pop biker while Ursula looked like she was going for a picnic with her aristocratic lover. You know, the kind who would use cheesy terms like ‘My love’ or ‘dearest’. 

 

It’s not like Akko had anything against how Ursula dressed, honestly she loves ‘girly’, frilly clothes. Dresses, skirts, blouses, those jackets with the baggy shoulders, she loved it all. She’d just rather not risk losing all the skin on her body if she fell off of her motorcycle. It’s why she, and every other motorcycle rider worth their motor oil, wore leather whenever riding on the road. It made sure that if there was an accident her skin wouldn’t be in direct contact with the pavement when she fell. 

 

There were other reasons she didn’t wear girly clothes as well. Dresses didn’t really look good with leggings and armings -hah-. So she opted not to wear them. Plus they didn’t really fit her well, at least in her own opinion. She had a lot of muscle mass, which lead to a blockier figure that most girls. Dresses were really only meant for girls with curves, and while she did have a few slight curves, any dresses she tried on look strange with how much muscle tone she had. It’s a little sad really; she had worked so hard to build muscle and now she couldn’t even wear some of her favorite things. She still owned a few dresses, she just opted to wear jeans and t-shirts when she went out.

 

“You’ve lost your tracks again.” Ursula had stood up while Akko was stuck in her head. She was probably waiting for Akko so that they could go. “Are you ready to go? I doubt they’re planning on offering us desert.”

 

“Heh, sorry about that…” Akko rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she stood up. “Let’s get going before they post a ‘Do Not Serve’ sign. I’d like to come back here again.” 

 

Ursula chuckled lightly as she followed Akko out of the café. “You rode Ark right?”

 

“Yeah, he’s just a block away.” Ark was a boy. Guys called their cars she, so her bike was a he. “How did you get here?”

 

“I drove my car. It’s parked a few blocks in that direction.” Akko barely noticed her pointing in the same direction as Ark. She honestly couldn’t. Not after what she thought she had just heard. And if Akko could only ever have three wishes; the first would be that she had heard Ursula wrong… The second would be for a sugar glider, and the third would be to make sugar healthy. But this was her priority.

 

“You have a car now?”

 

“I do. Why?” Ursula seemed honestly perplexed. And why wouldn’t she. For some reason Ursula had never been able to accept the hard, cold fact that she was, in fact, the worst driver alive.

 

Well that may be an over exaggeration. She can stay in her lane most of the time. She just couldn’t do anything else properly. “Ah, nothing!” Of course she wasn’t going to be the one that broke it to her… Not yet at least… And probably not till the end of time. Hey, don’t judge her, everyone who knew Ursula wouldn’t tell her either. 

 

They resumed their walk towards their respective vehicles. It was a nice day out. Well, for most people. The sun was high in the sky, without a cloud in sight for a change. Since the moment she move to England it had rained about 86% of the time. But that said, she liked the rain. More than the sun anyways. It was a big plus when she had learned that she wouldn’t need to deal with many sunny days here. The rain gave helped her think, among other things… Suddenly she was roused from her thoughts by a nudge to her side. She looked quickly at Ursula, who was giving her a sly -dangit she only got sly in certain, very uncomfortable, situations- smile and pointing past her. “Looks like you’ve attracted a little attention.” 

 

Akko turned to look where she was pointing, and failed to suppress an audible groan at the three guys very obviously checking them out, from the porch of a fancy looking restaurant. Yep. Just what she had hoped it wasn’t. 

 

“Oh, come now. Your young still, you should try to have a little fun while you still can.” Ursula had no ill intentions, Akko knew that truthfully, but she had been trying to get Akko to ‘Have more fun’ since they became closer. It started with things like movies, video games, and even asking if she had any crushes. 

 

“I don’t want anything to do with boys.” It was the truth. And was also the same thing she had said about video games -she just couldn’t see the appeal in most of those digital games- but it wasn’t for the reason Ursula thought it was.

 

“Come on. You’re gonna have to start dating some time.”

 

“Not likely.” Akko picked up her speed just enough to get past the restaurant where those guys were now making faces, suggestive one’s that Akko really didn’t appreciate, at them. Ursula matched her speed easily. “Besides, they’re probably looking at you. You haven’t gone out once since I’ve known you and you’re still young and pretty.” It was true. Ursula wasn’t even thirty yet, Akko didn’t know her exact age because she never said anything besides that, and she looked great! Akko was honestly surprised that she didn’t have a boyfriend. 

 

“Don’t change the subject. Besides my love life is none of your business.” 

 

“But mine is your?”

 

“Yes.” Ursula donned a very mischievous -one of her lesser known qualities was her love for light mischief- tone as she continued. “As your mentor I have to make sure you’re experiencing life to its fullest!”

 

“Wouldn’t your job be making sure that I’m training more and spending less time on useless things?”

 

“Shush. You have to actually make some friends at this school. And knowing you, you’ll avoid everyone but your teammates.” 

 

“It’s not on purpose! I just get distracted… A lot.” It was true! Akko was a very friendly person in her opinion!... As long as she didn’t get distracted and end up completely ignoring the person she was originally talking to. Or as long as the person wasn’t annoying or stuck up… 

 

Ursula smiled softly as she spoke. “I know Akko, just try to have fun sometimes. It’s just as bad to spend  _ all  _ your time working as it is to spend none.”

 

“D'accord, D'accord. Je comprends M'an.” Ursula smiled humorously at her horrible French -hey give her a break, it’s her fourth language- and gave her a pat on the head. Something that only she, Akira, and Jin were aloud to do.

 

“As long as you make an effort.” Their walk was almost over as they drew closer to Akko’s motorcycle. It didn’t look like anyone had tried to mess with it. At least that’s just the way it looked. It’s entirely possible that some goon had gotten shocked while trying to touch it and his buddies had dragged him off while no one was around; It wouldn’t be the first time. But then again, this wasn’t Japan… No… This was not Japan. 

 

The way she had lived this whole time wouldn’t be the same from now on. People were different here… She could be different here.

 

They waved goodbye one last time before Akko drove off. Checking her rearview mirrors as she left. Heh, Ursula was walking back towards the café… She had probably parked in the opposite direction and just wanted to make sure Akko got on her way safely. Akko couldn’t help but chuckle, quietly whispering to herself as she drove home. “ Merci Maman…”

 

The drive home wouldn’t be long, but Akko would have a lot to think about. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't have much in terms of plot but it gave us some more introspective into Akko and Ursula's relationship. I had to rewrite it three times. It just kept coming out wrong, it felt like they were a couple rather than a mentor and student. I feel like I've eliminated all of the couple vibes from their exchange but I'm not entirely sure. If it feels weird in any way then... I'm sorry I'm still new to this. So be sure to judge me all you want with a comment.
> 
> Seriously, I love your comments! You don't have to leave one, I don't actually expect anyone to anyways, but if you do then I'll actually respond now! And I'll thank you in the next chapter's end notes! That probably doesn't count for much but I want to get more involved with you guys. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed, let me know what you thought and have a wonderful day!


	5. The First Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Akko's first day at school! How will she fair? What challenges await her on her first day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter! As of the day this chapter is posted that includes; vickycaro42, TheGayWorm26, RaZGirZx86, Globus, dafaqismylife, and P4ntry-dm3m0n! Thank you all for you're support and criticism! It's what motivates me to keep on making chapters!
> 
> That being siad, I appolgize that this chapter took longer than the others, I ended up writting much more for this one than the others so I hope the wait was worth it. I think this chapter came out to around 16k words... Goodness that's a lot of words... Well tell me if you like longer chapters like this!
> 
> On that note, Diakko week is starting soon so I'll probably be working on projects for that and then the next week I have friends visiting from out of state, so I appolgize if there isn't an update for a week or two.
> 
> I'll try to do a little bit of the next chapter here and there between Diakko week prompts so you may just see something anyways!
> 
> Last thing before I let you get to the chapter. I've been replying to your comments as Anonymous so far, but I think that I'll start replying under the name "TheAuthor!". I'm not sure but it's probably what I'm going to do. Unless someone trolls me by posting stuff in the comments under that name... in which case I guess I'll just delete the comment from the imposter. If I can even do that. 
> 
> I'll see what I can do. Anyways, Leave comment's please! they fuel my creative spirit! And enjoy.

**Chapter 4: I Hope We Can Get Along!**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

****

Diana’s mornings were a routine. They had been since that fateful night so many years ago. It wasn’t anything complex or life deciding, just a simple schedule paired with reasonable assumptions that fell into the realm of likely events based on a combination of past experiences and present knowledge. 

****

Every morning went as expected; She would wake up early, much earlier than anyone else in her prior household and also now in the apartment she shared with her roommates, no later than six am. She would begin her day with a short, cold shower followed promptly by a warm cup of tea. A quick visit to the hospital -though that particular part of her schedule wasn’t exactly possible with her new residence- would follow and then she would be off to deal with whatever duties her current circumstances faced her with. Duties that she always arrived first to. In this circumstance; school.

****

But as she had opened her car door this morning, she was not only baffled to see the familiar girl there  _ before _ her, but also that it looked as if she was just finishing a morning run. The girl -Atsuko Kagari, if she remembered correctly- was walking towards the gymnasium from the direction of the battle cities -why one would run in one of those dangerous places was far beyond her but she wasn’t one to judge. She wore what one could easily describe as “workout clothes”. A pair of leggings underneath criminally small red shorts, red trainers, a white tank top over what Diana could only assume was a long sleeve yoga top, a pair of padded -and substantially worn- red gloves that curiously only had the ring and pinkie finger not fully covered, and a towel around her shoulders. 

****

Sweat dripped down her face and hands as she drank from her water bottle. Her muscles moving visibly underneath her skin tight clothes as she stretched. But as captivating as the sight was -even Diana could appreciate the sight of an attractive woman after a workout- her physical appearance wasn’t the reason Diana found herself staring, something that she mentally chastised herself for once she realized that the other girl had noticed her.

****

No, the reason Diana was so intrigued had to do with a conversation that she had had with Hannah and Barbara just after the orientation.

****

* * *

****

They were late. Well late by Diana’s standards. In actuality they were almost exactly on time, but Diana preferred to arrive early to these sort of engagements. But, sadly, she had let herself be help up by her roommates. 

****

Reluctantly mind you, she had pestered them to get a ‘move on’ rather fervently before they finally relented to her suggestion, but she had let it happen nonetheless.

****

Hannah had been looking for a friend of hers. Some hero’s son named Solomon. She supposedly hadn’t heard from him since orientation, which would usually be the effects that accompany a traumatic loss and exclusion from the school. A sign of a bruised ego, if you would. 

****

But she had been prattling on and on about how strong his quirk was, how he was the son of a powerful hero and all that same nonsense that she had heard a hundred times within the circles she traveled in. 

****

While it’s true that Diana couldn’t imagine life without her best friends, it was also the case that they could get so ridiculous and pompous that Diana couldn’t stand it. A good quirk doesn’t make a good hero. Training and dedication paired with a keen mind and strong body makes a great hero. She honestly couldn’t abide by the school of thought that most nobles and heroes choose to prescribe to. The notion that you have to be born with power was ridiculous in her opinion.

****

She had barely managed to pull the both of them along before the beginning of the ceremony. A ceremony that, while incredibly informative, was rather mundane. Aside from a girl -a rather striking girl at that- who had stood gawking at the room like it was straight from a fairy tale, nothing of mention transpired. It was afterwards when anything even remotely exciting transpired. Maybe she could find that girl from earlier, she had said a few words to her and despite not meaning to sound harsh, she had been rather short with her at the moment.

****

Shortly after the ceremony concluded, Diana found herself meandering towards the registrations building. There was no need to rush there and Hannah was seemingly still focused on finding her friend. 

****

“Where could he be?!” Though, she seemed to be growing rather irritated in her search.

****

“He’s probably just sick or something.” Barbara was attempting, in vain, to quell her rising temper. Diana could let this go on for longer. In all honesty she didn’t particularly care for this Solomon character. She recalled having met him during some of the upper class functions that she had been obliged to attend, and to say that their personalities couldn’t agree would be an understatement. But he was a friend of Hannah's so it only seemed right to at least acknowledge her worries. 

****

“Barbara may be correct. Though missing orientation will be troublesome for him since he won’t receive any of the required materials for the first day. But you shouldn’t let such trivial worries plague your mind.” There, that should distract Hannah from her growing anger. 

****

And it seems it did, just not to the result that Diana had wished for. As Hannah seemed to switch straight from angry to worried and then almost right back to irritated. “You’re right Diana! Come on, what’s he even thinking getting sick like this! Now what’s he supposed to do, just snap his fingers and hope it appears in front of him?!”

****

“Maybe we could grab it from the registrations building for him. Do you think we could bring it to him?” Barbara wasn’t as closely acquainted with Solomon as Hannah was, but she was a generally kind girl so it’s only expected that she wanted to help.

****

Though as nice a sentiment as it was, it was highly improbable to work. “I doubt they would let us take possession someone else’s belongings. We’ll probably have to show some for of identification to even receive our own.”

****

“Oh please!” Hanna scoffed, as if the notion was absolutely absurd. “I’m the daughter of  one of Britain's biggest hero support companies! Do you really think that they wouldn’t let me bring my sick friend his property!?”

****

Yes. That’s exactly what Diana thought. Though arguing it anymore would be a mute point and wasted effort. It’s better that she let Hannah figure it out through experience and then slip in to save whatever poor staff member had the unfortunate job of dealing with her tantrum afterwards. It’s not that Hanna was childish, she was just passionate about everything and anything. Especially her friends.

****

Nearing the end of their trek, they noticed that a good number of students had not only already received their materials, apparently they were stored in metallic suitcases of some sort, but that a great number of them were in an uproar over something. As they joined then end of the short line it became increasingly more apparent that something had angered a great deal of the students from more influential backgrounds. At least enough for Diana to notice, Hannah and Barbara seemed to remain largely unaware of the swearing and heated discussions of the students around them. 

****

Before Diana had anymore chance to ascertain the reason, she had reached the front of their line. And the receptionist was looking at her expectantly. Probably waiting for her name. “Diana Cavendish.”

****

“I need a form of identification please.”

****

Hannah looked like she was about to jump into one of her lectures but Diana made sure to have her ID out before Hannah even got the chance. It wasn’t very hard, Diana had expected as much would be required so she had already removed it from her purse. “Of course.” Diana spoke as she handed it over.

****

The woman gave a small nod before retreating to the large assortment of metallic suitcases to find Diana’s.

****

“The nerve of that woman! How can she not know who you are?!”

****

“Hannah.” Diana’s warning was short and simple but it’s message had reached Hannah loud and clear, as she seemingly decided not to continue her ranting. Just then the woman came back with her case. 

****

“Here you are miss Cavendish.” She placed the case on the counter between her and Diana along with Diana’s ID.  “This case contains all the materials and information you will need for the upcoming school year. It’s locked electronically to prevent security leaks. The passcode is your student ID number, but we advise that you not open it until you arrive at a secure location. The student registry and team roster is located in the side pocket and we encourage you to look them over for your rank and teammates before you leave.” 

****

“Thank you very much.” Diana moved back and away from the line after she accepted her suitcase. Barbara was in line after her so she had a few moments before Hannah’s impending tantrum. Taking the time afforded to her, she located the side pocket and removed the paperwork inside. She knew who her team would consist of since they had registered to be grouped together but it didn’t hurt to check.

****

After confirming that she, Hannah, and Barbara were indeed on a team together, she moved on to the student registry. She had expected a high rank, she wasn’t arrogant just confident, but she certainly hadn’t expected to be at the very top. Surely there was someone more worthy of it. After all her battle hadn’t even been that long or exciting. In fact it had been rather drole.

****

But apparently it was enough, as her name and picture sat at the very top of the packet of papers. She would be lying if the placement didn’t feel her with at least a small bit of pride. 

****

Pride that was quickly squashed by the image of a hospital room and several tubes attached to a particular patient, that flashed through her mind. Images of a battle for life that was still on the verge of loss. She couldn’t be proud yet… Not yet… 

****

Directly below her was a pale girl with long, puce colored hair that covered one eye. She had a dead look in her one visible. 

****

No… It wasn’t dead. Diana honestly couldn’t find a word appropriate to describe it. It was as if she was looking out, past where she was. Not in a sense of daydreaming, but more in a way that one looks when they’re waiting for something. But it wasn’t a similar form of waiting that one would associate with a child waiting for their parents to come home, no… It was a dark, unnerving form. One that reminded her of a predator; patiently waiting for the moment to strike its prey. 

****

It was unnerving to say the least. Her name was Sucy. Sucy Manbavaran… Diana had never heard of her. Most of the kids who were accepted would either be nobility or the sons and daughters of heroes, but this Manbavaran was a complete mystery. 

****

Unlike the next person down on the list. In the third place spot was a very familiar face, and one that could be rather annoying at times. Andrew. Really there was no surprise that he placed within the top five. But it did still fill Diana with a sense of satisfaction that she had beaten him. If he had placed over her then she never would have heard the end of it.

****

The next few placements were… interesting, to say the least. She had expected kids like Blackwell and Chloe to dominate the rest of the top ten. But instead she found a girl named Kimberly in fourth, followed swiftly by the daughter of Warlock -an “A list” hero who worked out of London- Blair.  Barbara had placed in the sixth place, it was expectedly considering the combination of her preferred method of combat and her quirk. 

****

Diana almost scoffed when she saw Amanda in the seventh place. The American had been an acquaintance of hers for some time but they had never seen eye to eye. Placing seventh would only serve to boost her ego even higher… Oh.

****

If the Sucy girl had been a surprise then the number eight was even more so. It was that girl that she had reprimanded shortly before the start of orientation. Another new face it seems. 

****

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ‘DON’T HAVE A CASE’ FOR HIM!” Diana let out a small sigh of resignation. It seems that Hannah’s tirade had already begun. Oh well, Diana could simply read the remainder of the roster later that night. They had planned on doing so anyways.

****

Reluctantly, Diana stored the envelope in the side pocket of her case and made her way back to where a very enraged Hannah was practically climbing over the receptionist desk to get at the woman behind it. A woman who seemed almost entirely uninterested at the prospective threat right in front of her, as she spoke with an almost exasperated voice. “I mean exactly what I said ma’am. We do not have a case for a ‘Solomon Edmonstone’.”

****

“WELL LOOK AGAIN!”  Why Hannah was so enraged was simply beyond Diana, but she seemed dead set on either getting the case or using her voice to murder the woman behind the desk. At this rate everyone besides the receptionist would fall victim to her tantrum. And judging by the glares from the surrounding student, it seemed prudent to put an end to Hannah’s screaming before anyone else decided to. 

****

“Hannah!” Diana wasn’t one to raise her voice often but when she did, the results were impressive. As Hannah and Barbara, the latter of which had been failing to quail Hannah’s rage, instantly turned to attention. Any previous grievances forgotten as Diana commanded them. “It’s time we depart. Let’s be on our way.” 

****

Ignoring Hannah’s protesting stare, Diana led them all to the front where their car was parked. But when they arrived they were met with a rather odd sight. 

****

There was a rather large group of the student population shouting at the drive way. “What’s going on?” Barbara asked a nearby student who she knew. 

****

“Some  _ NORMIE  _ got in! Can you believe it!?” The kid wailed angrily while he flailed his arms. 

****

“What?!” Barbara and Hannah’s shouts may as well have been one sound as they came out at the same time though with different tones to them. 

****

“Yeah! She even placed in the top ten! We were trying to chase her down but she drove out of here like a bat out of hell.” The boy spoke with an emotional range that spiraled from anger to downtrodden defeat within seconds. And it was clear that her roommates shared his disappointment at the girls escape.

****

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” Hannah’s shout was just as loud and indignant as it had been at the receptionist's desk.

****

“I know, who does this kid think she is! Like she belongs in this school!” Barbara joined in on the discussion as the boy ran off. Diana honestly just wanted to get home and review the materials they received so she simply continued on to her car, promptly refusing to participate as Hannah and Barbara continued shouting out their seemingly shared furry.

****

“How did someone like that even get in?”

****

“She must have gotten a really easy opponent for the practical exam.”

****

“I bet she can’t even fight properly.”

****

“Haha, yeah!” Barbara pretended to stifle a laugh as she continued. “She’ll probably flunk out in the first week!”

****

“Either that or she’ll die trying to keep up with all us real heroes. Right Diana?”

****

They had reached the car now, and Diana kept her response brief and honest as she could without screaming at them. It would just be a wasted effort otherwise. “I see no reason why she  wouldn’t be able to accel just as much as any of us. Luna Nova doesn’t let just anyone in and if she made it then that alone displays her skills.” There was a brief silence as Diana began the drive home followed by an outburst of laughter from both Hannah and Barbara.

****

“That’s a great one Diana!” Barbara said as she held her sides. “You almost sound like you actually believe that!”

****

“Yeah Diana, that was hilarious.” 

****

Diana would spend the rest of the trip home focusing on the road as she tuned out her friends’ rather annoying conversation.

****

* * *

****

After they had arrived home they had all gone over the roster together. Discovering that not only had a quirkless individual been admitted, but also that her ‘weak opponent’, as Hannah and Barbara had been so adamant about them being, was none other than the friend that Hannah had been sure wouldn’t be beaten. 

****

But Diana’s smug satisfaction didn’t end there, as they even watched the battle feed off of the schools website. And Diana could only say two things with certainty; the first being that if Solomon had indeed been admitted as Hannah had wanted, then the school’s credibility would have fallen substantially. And secondly, this ‘Atsuko’ girl had promise. It’s probably why she had been awarded the number eight rank.

****

But this all led back to Diana’s current issue. An issue which seemed to be walking directly towards her now. The girl had a look of determination gracing her countenance. She also seemed somewhat irritated. Was she angry about Diana’s staring? Maybe she was annoyed by Diana’s curt words from before the orientation? Whatever the cause may be, Diana would give her best attempt at an apology. This girl seemed rather interesting and she would be remiss if she failed in the pursuit of this girl’s companionship.

****

“Can I help you with something?” She spoke with an almost knowing reluctance. Like she already was expecting something and was dreading to be proven correct. But nonetheless the inquiry still left Diana floundering for a moment, more from the rude attitude she used than anything else.

****

“Pardon?” 

****

“You’ve been staring at me for the past five minutes.”

****

Oh, so it seems she had been. “My apologie-”

****

“Did you wanna try jumping me like the rest of you aristocrat friends?”

****

Usually Diana would be annoyed by the rudeness of  being interrupted by someone mid sentence, but at the moment she had more pressing matters. “I don’t know what you’re implying but I can assure you that I have no intentions of ‘jumping’. And neither would any respecting student of Luna Nova.”

****

“Is that so? Sure you weren’t part of that mob after orientation? You know, the one screaming and chasing me. Because I’m sure they were all just gonna give me a hug and congratulate me right?” 

****

“Well-” This was not going as Diana had imagined. But it’s not as if Atsuko was wrong… It’s more than likely that those who were chasing her down had been attempting to do some rather uncivilized things to her. That being said, Diana couldn’t keep the annoyance from creeping out of her voice. “While it may be true that not all of the student’s of Luna Nova are the most excited with your inclusion in the hero program-”

****

“Wow, you think?” The interruptions were starting to become a little too irksome, for Diana’s liking now.

****

“- ** _I_** for one, think that it’s an excellent occurrence. As long as you can keep up with everyone else, than I see no reason to exclude you based on something you have no control over.”

****

Her words seemed to quell the other girls annoyance, at least slightly. But she still seemed reluctant to relax around Diana. “...If you say so…”

****

“I do. Now if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to.” With her last words she stormed off, leaving a very conflicted looking Atsuko behind. She came to school early for a reason, and she wasn’t about to let herself be distracted by some random student. 

****

Nor was she going to let herself be distracted by the very odd sight of Miss Manbavaran picking plants in the forest near the locker room.

****

She did feel a little remorseful about not improving her relationship with Atsuko, but she would have to attempt to make recompense after class.

****

* * *

****

Akko couldn’t stop thinking about that girl from earlier. Diana Cavendish. The number one student. 

****

Akko had just been walking back to her locker after her run when she had spotted Diana staring at her. At first she had been slightly embarrassed -an admittedly gorgeous woman was staring at her after all- but she quickly remembered that Diana wasn’t only the number one student, but also an aristocrat, and a hero’s kid. That’s two strikes and considering how long she had been staring, she was sure that it could only mean one thing.

****

But after a short conversation where Akko had learned that she might not be that bad, all Akko could think about was how rude  _ she  _ had been to Diana. If she got the chance she would have to apologize later… Oh well. Back to work Akko, you can’t dawdle all day.

****

Akko sat up in Rider’s saddle as she nocked another arrow on her bow. She had gotten permission to set up targets in one of the arenas, and was currently on her sixth time around the track. 

****

Okay, Akko. Get out of your head. She told herself as she picked up the reigns. It’s time to work.

****

Akko brought Rider’s speed up she took the curve back to the first target that had been set up. In an instant she was off at a full gallop. Akko raised the bow up as she took aim. Bringing the bow string all the way back; pointer finger to the corner of her mouth, thumb to the crook of her jaw and neck. 

****

Keep your fingers loose on the handle. Aim while you pull Akko, bring it up... farther… adjust for movement, don’t hold to long… Almost... Now.

****

The arrow shot from the bow as she released her fingers from the bowstring. It’s trajectory flew straight and true as it struck the target just next to the mark denoting a bullseye. 

****

But she didn’t have time to complain. The next target wasn’t far and Rider was sprinting too fast to dawdle on a misplaced shot. As quick as she could she repeated the motions on the next few targets; nock an arrow, bring the string back, let go. Off center to the right. The next target’s coming, adjust mid draw. Pull, aim, release. Bullseye. Good…

****

She fell into a fluid cycle as she repeated the familiar movements at each new target. It was calming actually, the feeling of the tension from the bow string as you pull, the almost silent sound, as the arrow flew from the bow, that feeling of gratification when your grouping was juuuust right. And the burn in your arm as your repeated the same set of motions at different angles with each target. 

****

She had lined up targets at semi regular intervals throughout the arena. A few random ones here or there to make sure she didn’t fall into a pattern. And three targets in close proximity at the very end.

****

Siad targets were fast approaching as she neared the end of her established corse. Rider held still under her as she stood in the stirrups, a move that usually wouldn’t be smart at their current speed, but why wouldn’t she? Rider understood Akko and Akko trusted her not to make any sudden movements. Trusted her to keep Akko steady as she fired. Trusted her to keep her upright when it counted.

****

Akko drew three arrows from the quiver on the left side of her saddle as the targets came into view. She nocked one, held the other backwards in her pinkie and ring fingers, and held the last in her teeth. The succession of her movements would have to increase as these next targets were at practically the same distance but different locations. Meaning she would have to start firing before she got too close or she wouldn’t hit them all. 

****

She had less than a second worth of track between her and the targets at Rider’s current speed. Her order was decided as she finally drew her bow back. 

****

Ten meters. On the ceiling, dead center.

****

The first arrow wizzed from her bow, flying straight as she felt the tension travel back up her fingers. Before it could even meet its target she had already knocked the second. 

****

Six meters. Head height on the right.

She released the second arrow not a moment later than the first met it’s target dead center. 

****

Four meters. Floor level on the left.

****

The third arrow was out of her mouth and nocked just as the second hit it’s target, just right of center. But still touching the bullseye. With one meter left she released the arrow, this close it was impossible to hit anything but a bullseye, but that wasn’t what was important. If she had been trying for accuracy at a distance she would have just used an archery range. This exercise was one of steadinesses and accuracy under pressure.

****

The final arrow met its target as Akko slowed Rider to a trot. She wouldn’t see the front of the targets until she came back around a bit but this exercise wasn’t as much for improving as it was for keeping up a routine. 

****

Archery was relaxing for Akko, especially atop her horse. She had made it a routine to practice at least twice a week since she had picked up the sport. And at least one of those two had to be on horseback. She always found satisfaction in the sensation of the arrow leaving the string of her bow paired with the energy that Rider exerted below her. It was comforting… trusting someone to keep you steady.  

****

Akko slid her bow into the scabbard, attached to the right side of Rider’s saddle. She looked down to the scabbard as she did, noticing that it’s built-in quiver was empty of all thirty arrows. And the quiver on the left side had around ten left. Siad quiver could hold up to sixty arrows total.

****

Akko leaned down to lay against Rider’s sweaty neck as she meandered through the course. Running her hand along the sides horse's neck and whispering _“Good girl”_ , in japanese so Rider could understand how proud of her Akko was, as she surveyed the results. Her grouping was good, she had kept her aim in consistent circular groups and none of her shots had gone beyond the eight point ring. It was good, but she could be better. 

****

Usually she would redo the course, perfect practice makes perfect after all and anyone who says otherwise could eat a snail, but she had already run through both her and Rider’s entire morning workouts and classes were starting in less than an hour. At least that’s what the alarm, the one that made her remove herself from her very comfortable position leaning on Rider’s neck, had informed when she fished her phone from her pocket. 

****

Akko let out an amused sigh and chuckle as she tapped the ‘OK’ button on the alarm. It was big and doing a little shuffle dance next to the Ursula chibi. 

****

Why did it dance? Mainly because Ursula knew it made Akko laugh every time she saw it -and how could it not?! Look at it’s stubby little legs!- and Akko had persuaded her to make it a feature. She spent a few moments gathering up all her arrows and targets before tugging Rider’s reigns and leading her back towards the stable.

****

_ “Okay Rider, time to call it for now.”  _ Rider responded with a huff of breath and a protestan neigh, but followed all the same.

****

Akko rolled her eyes at the horse.  _ “Yeah, yeah. I know you want to run some more but I’ve got classes and-”  _ She was cut off by a bump from Rider’s head and a load snort.  _ “Hey hey! You know the deal. I’ve got responsibilities to take care of.”  _

****

Rider let out another, quieter snort as they approached the stables.  _ “Trust me girl; if I could spend the whole day riding with you then I would. But I have a dream to achieve.”  _ Akko pulled Rider into her stall before leaving briefly to place the targets back in their place in the storage closet. Akko returned a moment later to untack. Pulling the saddle off after slinging Rider’s, now removed, bridle over her shoulder.

****

_ “I’ll come back to see you tomorrow, okay? We’ll do some jumps then. How does that sound?”  _ Rider let out a satisfied neigh as Akko brushed her mane. After hanging everything up of course. 

****

She had tried to brush without putting everything away once and she ended up leaving the saddle and reins laying everywhere and got in trouble… Okay so maybe it was more than once, but she couldn’t help herself! Rider loved getting brushed and groomed! 

****

Akko couldn’t help but be adored at all the cute little sighs that Rider let out when Akko ran the brush through her mane, or when Akko rubbed her legs in  _ just _ the right way to release all the tension of their intense rides.  _ “See, I knew you’d understand you big baby.”  _ Akko coed lovingly at her horse as she nuzzled against Rider’s forehead.

****

Akko placed a quick kiss to the white spot that stretched across her forehead and eyes. Briefly nuzzling the fur that covered her snout -hah,  _ snout _ \- and after once again considering getting her a small little hat -because it would be adorable!- Akko departed the stables and made her way back towards the locker room. 

****

Having finished her routine Akko could only guess that she had about twenty five minutes left until class began, a theory that was proven correct as her second alarm went off to inform her of just that. And, of course, that she had also agreed to meet with her teammates… about two minutes ago… Great. A wonderful start to the first day Akko. Really giving your best first impression. 

****

She promptly broke out into a sprint towards the locker room.

****

* * *

****

After getting dressed faster than she had ever managed before, well at least considering how many parts the school uniform had, and counting how many times she had found herself in a similar situation, -the final number was ‘too many’ by Akko’s estimates- Akko finally found herself approaching the corridor where she was supposed to meet up with Lotte and Sucy.

****

She could only hope that they weren’t  _ too _ angry at her seven minutes of tardiness. Akko couldn’t help but feel a slight bit annoyed at herself. She had thought that she was getting better at keeping up with these kinds of things… Oh well. There wasn’t much more she could do at this point other than apologize. 

****

As she neared she could hear the monotone voice that she remembered from her first, yet brief, encounter with Sucy. “If we’re late because of her, I’m going to poison her lunch.” Well… That didn’t bode well…

****

“I’m sure she’s just running a little late.” And there was the soft, albeit worried, voice of Lotte. It’s hard to believe that someone in the top twenty could sound so… Small. Well, Akko actually could believe it, she had seen stranger things. It just took her aback a bit.

****

Akko turned the corner apologizing just as it seemed that Sucy was about to respond. “Sorry guys! I lost track of time!”

****

“And here she is.” Well at least Sucy only seemed moderately annoyed… At least Akko thought so. It was hard to read the girl, in all honesty.

****

“It’s fine. We were just worried is all.” At least Lotte didn’t seem upset.

****

“Speak for yourself. I thought you had wandered into a lake and drowned. I was about to go fish your body out so I could melt it down for ingredients.” Ah, so Sucy was upset.

****

“Th-that wasn’t very nice...”

****

“I know, I know.” Sucy let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m just joking.” Sucy turned towards Akko as she pushed herself off of the wall she had been leaning on. “My name is Sucy Manbavaran. I would say it’s a pleasure but it’s not.” Sucy reluctantly held out her hand as she spoke. And Akko honestly couldn’t seem to understand this girl. 

****

Was she upset? Angry? Plotting Akko’s imminent murder? Or just severely disinterested? Probably the last one if Akko was being honest. But Akko always tried to put her best foot forward. So after a pause -a much too long pause if Akko was being honest- to process her thoughts Akko instantly pepped up. A beaming smile gracing her countenance as she practically bounced forward, a movement that startled both Sucy and Lotte -she would really have to get those apology baskets together-, to accept Sucy’s hand. “My names Kagari, Atsuko! But you can just call me Akko, it’s nice to meet you!” 

****

“Jeez, are you always so loud?” Sucy sunk away as she extracted her hand from Akko’s iron grip. 

****

Just then Akko’s phone chimed and vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, humming the tune to remember the lock code as she unlocked it, and almost completely forgetting Sucy’s rhetorical question.

****

“What is it?” Lotte seemed curious but didn’t make any moves to look at her phone, probably to respect her privacy. The gesture was very kind, not that Akko would have minded if she had looked. It was just her Ursu-app -heh, she had just came up with that name- giving her a reminder. 

****

How could she have had this app for almost nine years now and never have thought of that name!? It was almost perfect!... What was she doing? 

****

“Akko…” Oh yeah, Lotte had asked her a question.

****

“Oh, sorry! It’s just a reminder that we only have fifteen minutes till class starts.” Akko turned her phone screen to Lotte and Sucy after she pulled herself out of her reprieve. 

****

Lotte seemed generally interested in the bright colors and funny chibi on screen. Sucy on the other hand… Well, she looked like she was staring at the world’s most confusing puzzle. “What the hell am I looking at?”

****

Akko turned the phone back towards her as she turned the alarm off. “It’s an app that an instructor made to help me keep me on my tracks.” 

****

“Tracks?...” Both Lotte and Sucy seemed genuinely lost at this point. Considering that they had said that in unison, it would probably be best if Akko explained. But if she started now they would never make it to their destination. On time at least. 

****

“I’ll tell you about it later. We should probably head to class.” Akko turned as she began the walk to find the room number that she had made sure to memorize. 

****

“So now you’re worried about being on time?” Sucy rolled her eyes as she followed behind.

****

“Hey!” Akko glared at her indignantly. “I already said sorry.”

****

“Yeah, yeah. And I’m still annoyed about it.”

****

“Guys… Maybe we shouldn’t fight.” Lotte was walking slightly behind them, as if afraid that they would break out in a battle right there in the hallway.

****

“It’s not fighting Lotte. We’re just having a… verbal disagreement.”

****

“Oh, big words. Someone give her a cookie.”

****

“Hey! Are you calling me stupid?!” Akko’s voice raised slightly above what she had intended. Attracting the attention of some of the other students who were also in the hallway. Correcting her volume, she continued on, “I’m not an idiot you know.”

****

“Really?”

****

“Girls…” Whether or not Lotte’s pleas meant anything to Sucy, Akko would never know. In all honesty it was more likely that Sucy just grew tired of the conversation. Because the group fell into silence as they continued their trek. 

****

That is to mean,  _ they _ were silent. Just their group. The hallways were still very loud. And funnily enough the conversation was all about one person, Akko.

****

“Is that her?”

****

“It’s the normie.”

****

“What the hell does she think she’s doing here!”

****

“The school’s going to crap if they’re letting people like her in.”

****

It’s not like Sucy and Lotte didn’t know about her. The name of their quirks were listed beneath their names on the student registry. She had honestly expected them to jump her about it. Well not  _ jump _ exactly… Jumping is more akin to what those other kids had tried to do on orientation day. But she had expected at least a little questioning. Maybe not from Lotte, she seemed to be nice enough not to bring it up herself. But Sucy was an entirely different case. She obviously had no reservations about teasing or making fun of her, so why hadn’t she brought it up yet? 

****

Akko didn’t have any time left to debate as they finally reached the door to their class room. “Whoa.” Akko couldn’t help but utter her amazement as she gazed at the giant door that separated them from the classroom. “Why is this door so huge?!”

****

“Some of the students have mutation quirks that make them bigger than normal doors.” Lotte chimed in as she walked forward to open the door. “The school tries to accommodate students of all shapes and sizes.” The door slid open easily as Lotte pushed it lightly. How did something that big move so easily? Was it suspended on rollers? Hollow in the inside? Magic? Akko liked to imagine it was magic.

****

The three quickly made their way into the room. Sucy followed Lotte up towards the front of the room, only stopping when they realized that Akko had taken a seat at the very back. Akko had made the mistake of sitting at the front of the classroom during her time in the training academy. And she was not about to have her back turned to a class full of people who hate her, at least not again. 

****

Lotte redirected to take the seat right next to Akko. Sucy hesitated briefly before ultimately following and taking the seat next to Lotte’s.

****

“Is there a reason that we’re a mile away from the front?” Well… Sucy’s sarcasm wasn’t unwarranted… They had ended up as far from the board as possible, but Akko wasn’t about to move closer and risk a group of pissed off students forming right behind her. Besides, you would be able to hear the teacher from anywhere in the room so it wasn’t going to affect their grades.

****

“I just think this is the best place for me. You can move up if you really want.” She wasn’t technically lying, she really did believe that this was the best seat for her, but it seemed that Sucy didn’t buy it. 

****

“Riiight…” But thank the nine, Sucy decided not to press the issue. “If you say so…” Lotte also looked like she wanted to say something, but kept quiet nonetheless.

****

And to Akko’s surprise, everything was going fine! There were students already in class but none of them had tried any crap yet. There was only a few moments before class started and it looked like she had entered unnoticed. Well… Almost unnoticed… 

****

“THERE YOU ARE NORMIE!” Akko audibly groaned as she heard the familiar slur. Well not that exact one since it was in English, but Japan’s meant practically the same thing. 

****

Akko turned her head in the direction she heard the call come from. Well it was more like a yell but hey, who’s judging? And who really cares? 

****

Akko’s gaze met an angry - because what else would she be if she’s yelling across the classroom?- redhead, her name started with and H if Akko remembered correctly, stomping her way up towards her.

****

“What, did you think you could dodge us all day?” The girl had an obnoxious look on her face. Like she had just proven her superiority with that statement alone. And truly there was only one thing that Akko could say to her-

****

“Huh?” Akko at her most eloquent. Take a video, it’s the most refined you’ll ever see her.

****

“Don’t ‘Huh’ me! You were trying to avoid us by hiding until right before class started!”

****

“Why else would you have taken so long to get here?” Another girl, with long black hair, had joined the crazy short girl. And Akko actually recognized this one from the roster. Her name was Barbara.

****

“Why would she be hiding from you two? You look as harmless an insect. Just standing there, pestering us, and begging to be squashed.” The unnerving grin that had spread across Sucy’s face probably would have creeped Akko out more if she wasn’t busy being relieved that Sucy was directing it at the two girls and not her. That probably meant that they were friends… right? Akko was going to say that it did.

****

Oh, yeah. Bullies accusing her of being a coward. She should probably do something about that. “I haven’t been hiding from anyone.” Akko even rolled her eyes at the notion, a move that seemed to make the auburn haired girl even angrier. “I just lost track of time.”

****

“HA! A likely story, normie.” Now a kid with blond hair had joined in. Great, more sassholes to deal with. “Like any of us would believe that. Now why don’t you give Hannah here an apology for your insolence.”

****

“Thank you Louis.” The girl, Hannah apparently, turned back to Akko with that same smug look again. “Now you heard him. Apologize and you might survive today. Hah!” She scoffed  _ very  _ annoyingly. Kind of sounded like a troll being strangled. “I don’t know how trash like you beat Solomon but I'll forgive you for that too.”

****

_ Breathe Akko. In, one… two… three…  _ Okay. Now if she could get through today without beating the crap out of another classroom -yes, she’d done it once before- then she would buy herself some mochi on her next cheat day. A task that would be exponentially harder knowing now that she knew these people were friends with that jerk face. Oh, maybe she’d get the strawberry flavor! “I’d be more worried about yourself. Maybe you should ask your friend ‘Solo-got-his-but-kicked-mon’, I’m sure he can tell you how well I’ll ‘survive’.” Despite her wish for the deliciousness that was mochi, Akko wasn’t one to take things lying down, and she certainly wasn’t going to accept any dirt from some aristocrat jerks!

****

Akko didn’t know if it was the trio’s progressively angrier looking faces, Sucy’s hysterical cackling, Lotte’s silent panic, or the background cheers from the mid-air-pole-dancing-girl, Akko knew her name but it was just funnier to remember her like that instead, that made her want to laugh the most. But before she continued, at the same time as she silently mourned the lowering possibility of her getting her sweet, sweet mochi, the teacher walked in.

****

“Everyone take your seats! We will begin class shortly.” It was that Finnelan woman from the orientation. “Today we will just be going over this semester’s syllabus and discussing how your education in our hero program will proceed from this point forward.” She took her place in front of the giant electronic screen at the front of the room, writing her name and a few points that Akko could only assume would be discussed, as all the students returned to their seats. Hannah, Barbara, and Louis included, though they did so after throwing some dirty glares in her direction.

****

“You should all know my name so I won’t repeat it.” Akko settled into a comfortable position as Finnelan began her whole speal. “First we shall discuss the classroom expectations and conduct that you will be required to follow during both your regular and hero courses.” 

****

She gave the entire classroom a once over, probably checking for students who were stupid enough to be daydreaming or talking during her lecture. She apparently found none, as she continued on with her lecture. “Despite being enrolled in the hero program, you shall all take classes that will expand your knowledge on the core subjects. These will include, science, math, English, and history. You will also be required to complete courses in quirk-law as well as two electives. In total you will have seven non-hero course classes in a week and unlike a standard college, as I don’t have to remind you that we are anything but standard at Luna Nova, you shall take all of these classes when we tell you to take them, with whom we tell you to. You do not have the liberty of choosing your own schedules and no exceptions will be made for those who feel the need to play hooky.”

****

“Excuse me-”

****

“Please save all questions until such a time as I request them!” The kid who had raised his hand lowered it dejectedly. “Now. I know that Miss Callistis informed you that we would be starting hero training earlier than usual. Well that sentiment will go double for this class in particular. Back when this school was first founded, hero training began on the third day of classes. And that is how we shall do it as well. I assume you will all have your costumes prepared by then. Am I correct?” The response was a mix of ‘yes ma’am’, ‘yes’, and a single ‘aye, aye captain’.

****

“Very good. The hero lessons will start directly after regular classes end. Unlike your regular classes you will have hero courses every single day. They will change from day to day, and the particular lesson you are learning on any given day will determine the instructor you will be learning under. I will be your primary instructor for the majority of lessons, but that will not always be the case. Are there any questions?”

****

The room sat silent at her question. Guess the kid from before had his question answered. And that’s why you always wait until the end to ask questions… And that may or may not be a lesson that took Akko four years to learn… Don’t judge her, she’s a curious person!

****

“Very good.” Finnelan begin again. “We will discuss sponsors, costume modification requests, and school sanctioned mission later next month. For the rest of today’s lesson, I will be administering a special test.” A low murmuring broke out across the room at the mention of a test -no one had studied after all, and it was the first day of school- but the noise was quickly silenced by Finnelan’s stern glare. 

****

The same kid from before raised his hand but quickly lowered it as Finnelan began speaking again. “Please keep your hand lowered until I’m finished… Good. Now, as I was saying, you won’t have to worry about any of your other lessons for today, I've excused you all from any other classes until we are finished. And as I plan on using the rest of today for this test, you won’t be needing to attend any other lessons for today. Am, I understood?”

****

Once again the room was filled with murmured responses, this time including a ‘Si senorita’ among the normal responses.

****

“Very well. Please make your way to the locker room and change into the school issued training outfits that are waiting in your designated lockers. After you change, report to training city Three. That will be all.” Finnelan left the room without another word, everyone else following shortly afterwards. Akko caught a glimpse of Hannah, Barbara, and Louis as she, Sucy, and Lotte were leaving. They looked like they were waiting to pounce on her, but luckily that Diana girl had gotten in their way and was currently admonishing them, very loudly, about how they acted before class.

****

Huh, Akko made a mental note to definitely patch things up with her later on. She may just be as nice as she seems. Well, she hadn’t exactly been very nice any of the other times Akko had talked to her… But that had mostly been because Akko had just assumed she was a bigoted snob like all the other aristocrat students, and hadn’t really given her a chance to be nice. Oh well. Akko decided that it would be best to cross that bridge when she got there.

****

* * *

****

“Is everyone present?” Professor Nelson called out as all the students -from both classes, because apparently Nelson’s class had decided to join in- gathered at Battle City Three. Which coincidentally, also happened to be the same battle city used in the practical exams. She waited for a positive head nod from Finnelan before she continued.

****

“Great! Look at the lot of ya’! Dressed like a nice bunch a’ cadets!” They had all changed into the school’s training uniforms, and Nelson seemed to be admiring their design rather happily. 

****

Akko couldn’t tell why she liked them so much. They were simple navy blue, form fitting, tracksuits with bands of color that intersected the uniform down the left and right sides of its entire height of the shirt and the left leg on the pants. There was a diagonal strip stretching from the left shoulder to the right hip, and horizontal one across the ankles. The color of each person’s stripes changed depending on your team’s color. Thank the nines she had gotten red. Having her favorite color crisscrossing all over the ugly tracksuit made it at least slightly more bearable. 

****

“Okay! Now that your all dressed up and ready ta go, we’ll get this exercise rolling! I’m go’n ta be help'n Professor Finnalen observe ya today.” Professor Finnalen approached them, stepping forward just as Nelson finished talking.

****

“That is correct. Today’s exercise will act as an example of what the future will hold for your training sessions. Things will be easier for today’s exercises but it should give you some insight into how tests will be administered moving forward. Professor Nelson will now explain the rules for this test.”

****

“Thank ya’ Anne.” Nelson began, “Now this test will be simple for your first day.” She produced a small device from her robes -why the Professor's wore robes was beyond Akko, but it looked cool so whatever- and clicked one of the buttons on the top. 

****

A holographic screen blared to life just above Nelson. Displayed on it was a map of all of the battle cities. Of the nine in total, Akko could make out a canyon environment, and ocean with a bunch of boats, the city they were currently in, and a suburban-esqu area. But before she could see any of the others, the map zoomed into their current city. 

****

Nelson pointed the device, that Akko was pretty sure was some form of remote now, at the screen and continued talking. “Today’s exercise will be a race of sorts.” 

****

She clicked another button, causing one, two, three… forty eight, by Akko’s count, -suspiciously the same number of students in both classes- flags to appear on the map. They were situated at the opposite end of the city. So Akko could think of few different possible tests. 

****

One was that they would have to race to the other end of the arena and touch a flag designated to them. Second was that they would have to run to one end, grab their flag, and then bring it back fastest. The Third was that they would jump out of a plane with squid parachutes and have a mid air paintball battle all the way down, first one to land at their flag would be the winner… What? She didn’t say that they were all  _ realistic _ , just that they were possibilities…

****

“Tha rules are simple. Get one of the flags and carry it over tha finish line.” Oh, well Akko was basically right with the second option. “It doesn’t matter how you get the flag, as long as you’re the one hold’n it when it crosses the finish line.” She pointed to a white line that had been painted on the ground behind them. 

****

“There is no time limit, and there are no rules beyond getting the best place you can.” Finnelan spoke. “I will start the race with a flare once professor Nelson gets in her position. Are there any questions?”

****

A tense silence was her only response. And how could they not be tense? The rules allowed anyone to do  _ anything  _ they wanted! Akko already knew what a few of the kids were likely to do. 

****

“Very well. Take you starting positions as Nelson gets ready. Once she gives me the okay I’ll count down to one and start the race with this flare.” She produced a green flare gun from her robes as they all walked to the white line behind them.

****

Suddenly they all felt a blast of air as Nelson took of into the sky. Flying as if she was a bird, even though she didn’t have wings. The only thing Akko could see helping her along was a giant pillar of fog that trailed behind her. It was kind of cool in all honesty. Akko almost started trying to figure out the details of her quirk, but she was pulled from the line of thought before it began as she heard Finnalen begin the countdown.

****

“3!” Akko bent down, getting into a running position closer to the ground. Left leg out behind her and the right one bent underneath her.

****

“2!” Okay Akko, time to get out of your head. You have to focus, because it’s more than likely that half these kids would focus on just stopping you from getting a flag. If she got surrounded then it’d be a hundred times harder to get anything above dead last… And she wouldn’t settle for last.

****

“1!” Okay, remember your breathing patterns. Try to get up high, and don’t let anyone near you… Okay, she was ready…

****

_ BAAM _ , the flare shot off into the air, but not a second later the whole area was enveloped within a bright blinding light. 

****

It was emanating from Cavendish. A mint green energy -not unlike the streaks in her hair- rippled and radiated off of her hair, charging up before firing off and striking the ground with a giant bolt of energy. The ground where she had struck glew for a few seconds before it erupted in a cloud of smoke and rubble. 

****

It took a few moments for the dust to clear, but as the clouds separated everyone at the starting line were greeted with a giant horse made of stone and rebar. Two wings adjourned it’s back and it emanated a power that could make a normal person quake. The creature’s whole body shone with the same green energy that had been used for its creation. And it commanded the attention of everyone present.

****

Diana walked slowly towards it as the creature bent lower to allow her access to it’s back, the solid materials that composed its body bent and flexed like flesh and muscle as it moved. Diana mounted it gracefully and took off into the sky without any issues. Leaving a crowd of awed onlooker behind. Only Hannah dared to break the silence, a smug look on her face as she spoke, “There goes our Diana. Bet she’ll take first place before any of us even get a flag. Hah! What do you think of that Normie?”

****

Everyone turned to see Akko’s reaction… “Hey wait…” Only to notice that she hadn’t stayed to gawk at Diana’s quirk like the rest of them, and had not only already gotten a fearsome head start on them, but had also already scaled a building and was currently parkouring across rooftops with the speed of an Olympic sprinter.

****

They stood still for only a moment longer before anyone who hadn’t already started -a few kids had began after realizing that Akko already had a lead on them- erupted in an enraged sprint. Well, anyone except Sucy, who just meandered slowly forward.

****

Akko, for her part, was already holding a good pace as she jumped, slid, and flipped her way across buildings. It was unlikely that anyone without a mobility based quirk would be able to catch her but she didn’t want to take a chance. She hadn’t let herself dawdle to watch Cavendish’s little show of power.

****

But don’t get her wrong, It’s not like she wasn’t impressed or anything. A beautiful woman with long, flowing hair, riding atop the back of a stone Pegasus was one of the most ‘metal’ things she had ever seen. It was so ‘metal’ in fact, that looked like it belonged on the cover of one of the rock albums that Otosan listens to.

****

It didn’t take Cavendish too long to catch up to Akko, she was on a giant flying horse after all. She flew low as she passed Akko, throwing her an approving look before she picked up speed and took the lead. Akko, for her part, was just as impressed with the girls quirk as she was how amazing Diana looked on the back of the creature. But she was used to seeing outrageous powers and abilities. 

****

There had been a boy with the ability to create giant, winged, fired breathing dolphins with chainsaws for fins, from the dust that he expelled from little tanks built into his shoulders. To this day it was one of the coolest, and admittedly stupidest, things she had ever seen. It probably would have been cooler is she hadn’t had to fight them all the time. Damned things could do a number on you and she still had the scars to prove it.

****

Pushing that thought to the back of her mind Akko picked up her pace a bit -after discreetly snapping a picture of Cavendish as she flew by, of course. Purely to confirm the ‘metalness’ of the scene later on! Trust her… please? 

****

Akko kept her lead over everyone else until about halfway down the course. It was at that point that she heard a shout from behind her and not soon afterwards mid-air-pole-dancing-girl caught up right next to her, surfing through the air on a stop sign that looked like it had been pulled out of the ground. 

****

“Hey there slowpoke!” The girls had a playful edge to it and she had a cocky smirk stretched across her face. Akko couldn’t help but smirk back as she responded.

****

“If I’m so slow, how did it take you so long to catch up?”

****

“HAH!” The girl belt out a laugh in response. “Spunky! But I respect that. It took me a while to find a ride.” She nodded her head in the direction of the stop sign she was currently riding. “Trust me if I had got my hands on something earlier I would have smoked both you and the princess a while ago.”

****

“Is that so?” Akko couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the declaration. This girl sure was cocky.

****

“The names Amanda, by the way!”

****

“Huh?” Akko had already known her name of course but she hadn't been expecting it to be offered so easily.

****

“You’re the quirkless kid right? Kagari or something.” Amanda asked as looked ahead. A challenging smile still adorning her face. “If you really are good enough to get number eight then I think you’re worth making nice with.”

****

Now Akko really wanted to trust her, see seemed like a fun person and it would be nice to have another friend, but it was hard not to doubt Amanda’s intentions. Either way she would put her best foot forward. “Yeah, you seem cool too. You can call me Akko.”

****

“Hey I never called you cool.” Amanda said as she began increasing her speed slowly. “I just said you were worth being nice to. See you later Kagari.” Amanda rocketed off as she finished talking. Leaving Akko slightly flabbergasted as she tried to determine if that was a good sign, or a very bad one… She promptly decided she didn’t care as she vaulted over an elevated pipe and rolled out of a clean landing, continuing her run as she prepared to jump to the next building top.

****

She was a quarter of the course from the flags before the next person caught up. “Hello there miss Kagari.” 

****

It was tall boy with slicked back, brown hair -although it looked tassels and unkempt from running at this point. As he reached Akko’s stride she could see how he had caught up; he had jets of fire erupting from the backs of his arms, ankles, and his shoulder blades. He had removed his shirt in an attempt not to damage it, and while the sight of an extremely ripped -most likely extremely rich- man with only a tank top on would make other girls swoon, Akko found that she couldn’t care any less than she currently did. 

****

Despite his built figure, it was easy to tell that he was already beginning to reach his limit in terms of stamina. But he continued talking nonetheless. “My name is Andrew Hanbridge. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His words came out breathlessly as he tried to match paces with Akko, but it was obvious that he couldn’t do so without the help of his quirk. “You are rather fast Miss Kagari.”

****

Akko couldn’t keep herself from laughing. He sounded like one of those stuck up rich boys but they would never sink low enough to compliment someone like her, like that. All their compliments would be shallow and superficial. “Hah, thanks! It looks like your having a little trouble there!”

****

The boy gave her a brief smile before responding. “My quirk utilizes the air in my lungs as a power source, so maintaining a sprint like this proves difficult.” He paused briefly to suck down a huge gulp of air. “ But I can see that your statistic from the physical exam were accurate.”

****

“Sure you want to say that? Your friends might not like you getting friendly with the quirkless kid.”

****

“Hah! You’re probably right about that!” He turned back towards her as he continued, “But I honestly couldn’t give a damn about their opinions! If they want you as an enemy then that’s their prerogative. And I’m honestly appalled that you would lump me in with the lot of them!”

****

Akko returned the smile as she picked up her pace once again, mainly just to see the strained and panicked look on his face as he tried to keep up without his jets. “Sorry about that then. But if you keep talking while you’re running you’re just ganna waste all your oxygen.” She threw him a smirk as he caught up. 

****

“Then it seems it’s time for me to take my leave. It was a pleasure Mis-”

****

“Just Akko is fine.”

****

“I see. Then it was a pleasure Akko.” His jet’s blared to life as he kicked them up a notch, launching him forward… Before he disappeared suddenly. 

****

In his place was a boy with slicked back -and also tousled- blond hair that stumbled before breaking out into a sprint and laughing. “HAHAHA, HE’S GANNA BE SO PISSED!” He flashed Akko an excited smile after he finished laughing. “Hey! My name’s-” He was cut off by a very loud yell originating from behind them. 

****

**“FRANK!!”** It kind of sounded like that Hanbridge guys voice.

****

“HAHA, Yep. pissed.” Frank continued laughing as he attempted to keep pace with Akko -she had managed to keep up her sprint despite the strange series of events.

****

“Uhm…” Was all Akko could say as they approached the next jump

****

“I should get going before he catches up!” Frank seemed to be scanning the horizon as Akko launched herself over the ledge of the building. He jumped much to shallow, a jump that wouldn’t reach across the gap unless he did something. And Akko wasn't sure if he would be alright for a second. “See ya later!” 

****

And then it happened again. Frank disappeared and in his place was Amanda. She flailed mid air before landing on the roof top and breaking out into a sprint. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!” She looked to Akko but was only met with Akko’s dumbfounded face. 

****

“Um…” was all Akko could get out before Andrew caught up, apparently having heard Amanda’s question as he answered immediately upon landing. 

****

“It was Frank’s quirk!” He yelled angrily as he caught up. “He can switch the positions of people and things. He’s been doing it this whole race, and I swear the next time I see him I’m gonna punch him in the face.”

****

“Not If I do it first!” Amanda yelled. She looked like she was struggling to keep up with them. It was probably just because she hadn’t been prepared to sprint after flying on that sign for so long. What happened to it anyways? It hadn’t come with her so that must mean that it was still way up there right? Was it still flying or did it just fall? “It’ll be here soon. So just keep your mouth shut until then.” Amand yelled embarrassed. 

****

Dang, she must have said some of that out loud. She really had to get a handle on that. 

****

That being said, she couldn’t help herself but to continue teasing her. “What? Can’t keep up?”

****

“OI! I said shut up! I just wasn’t ready to be running so soon!” She kept her face straight forward as an embarrassed blush spread across her features

****

Andrew shared an amused smile as Akko let out a small laugh. A few seconds later the stop sign that she had been using came flying back towards them. It had a few more dents and scrapes, and one of the corners was bent inwards, but that didn’t seem to deter Amanda in the slightest.

****

“HA, get ready to eat my dust losers!” She exclaimed as she jumped onto it and took off, passing Akko and Andrew -they had both pulled ahead of her while she waited for her sign to return- and flipping them both the bird as she flew by. But, she was slower than before. She was probably getting tired and couldn’t keep the same speed as she had before. 

****

The run during her wait had taken a lot out of her as she tried to mimic Akko’s movements while weaving in and over obstacles. At one point Akko had started taking the harder routes and doing more advanced moves like flips and slides, just to annoy her. Andrew had had an easier time as he could just boost himself up and over everything. But he was also showing signs of slowing. 

****

Both of them barely kept in front of Akko. Probably trying to conserve some energy for the sprint back. The total distance between the starting line and the flags was around 11000 meters -it had been displayed on the map when they were shown. That means that there and back would be about 22000 meters, or just under fourteen miles, four those who decided to run it. They had been running for about 20 minutes so far, and even with their quirks the others were showing signs of wearing down, though it’s unlikely that they were going their fastest. 

****

Akko, on the other hand, hadn’t even hit her full stride yet. She had been conserving energy the whole time, both for the way back and in case she had to get into a fight with someone during the run. Her lead had afforded her the luxury of taking it easy at the beginning but that wouldn’t be an option on the way back.

****

The flags were now in view, they would reach them in just a few moments and it was clear to see that two of them had already been taken -at least from this position, she wouldn’t know how many total were missing unless she ran down the other streets and it honestly didn’t matter much. She had seen Cavendish flying back towards the finish line with one a while ago so it wasn’t hard to imagine that she had already taken the first place. Unless someone else had been able to take her flag from her, or someone who had taken one of the other streets had got ahead of them. But Akko could worry about that right now. 

****

They were here and she had to descend the building before she reached the end or she would lose a lot of time getting down. On the next gap she noticed a pipe leading down the building vertically, usually it wouldn’t help much. But this pipe also happens to be one of the large ones, and it passed right by a fire escape. Perfect.

****

As she approached the jump she watched Andrew and Amanda go over the gap, but instead of following them she jumped shallow. The pipe was coming up fast and if she missed it she would be in a lot of trouble, so as gravity pulled her down she angled her body sideways, one arm out and towards the building and her legs out and away from it.

****

Just as her hand caught the pipe she pulled up with all her might -the distance she had fallen wasn’t enough to dislocate her should so she didn’t have to worry about that- and swung her legs forward and inwards, running up the side of the building and letting the momentum carrier her body through the motion. 

****

She dropped her body through the movement as she landed, riding the pipe all the way until it evened out. Once the fire escape came into view she dropped town towards it, grabbing the each side bar as she dropped down level by level. As she reached the bottom, she brought her hips forwards fling herself onto the rail of the third platform up. Running the whole length on top of the rail before launching off once she reached the end. Rolling her body in the air as she formed a triangle with her hands, and then using siad hand triangle to catch her at the end of the fall. It only took her a moment to roll safely out of the landing before she was back on her feet.

****

She was back on street level with only a couple meters between her and the flags. As she neared she saw Amanda nose dive towards them. Akko was almost certain she would crash but at the last second she grabbed one end of the stop sign and pulled up, hard. She used the momentum to sling herself back towards the finish line, grabbing a flag as she passed. Andrew descended much slower and only grabbed his flag a second after Akko got hers. 

****

Now the real race could begin. Especially since a new contender grabbed her flag right as Andrew did. Barbara had landed from the roof of the building on the other side of the street. But she looked… Different.

****

Her arms were covered with fur and she had paws instead of hands and feet. That’s not even mentioning the substantial increase in muscle mass and the yellow eyes. She held the flag in between her teeth and took off on all fours at a speed that outpaced Akko. But luckily she looked tired and worn. She had probably been in a fight or two on the way here, so she was likely running slower than her optimal speed. But it was still enough for her to be well ahead of Akko.

****

This was where the real race began… They all four had flags, and to get back to the finish line they would have to get through all the students who would probably be waiting for them. And Akko knew only one thing… This wasn’t the time for restraint.

****

Just as she had suspected all three of the others around her all kicked it up a notch, going as fast as they could. So Akko didn’t hold back either. She pushed herself to the fastest she knew she could go and still cover the almost seven miles that lie between them and the finish line. It wasn’t enough to over take the others but judging by their surprised looks and Amanda’s “DAMN KAGARI!” they hadn’t expected her to be able to keep up, let alone almost close the gap. 

****

For a while they went on just like that. They didn’t meet anyone during the run, and none of them had any reason to attack each other. Until they got a quarter of the way back, when they met Lotte. The other’s tensed up and slowed in anticipation of an attack, even Akko lowered her speed a bit -she didn’t suspect Lotte would do anything, Akko was just being cautious. But then she yelled across the distance to them. “AKKO, BE CAREFUL UP AHEAD! A BUNCH OF THE KIDS ARE WAITING TO AMBUSH YOU GUYS NEAR THE FINISH LINE!”

****

It was then that Akko noticed that Lotte looked like she had been in a fight herself. Her hair was ruffled, her clothes were slightly ripped along the sleeves, and her glasses were cracked. Dang… She had expected as much but it sucked that this had to be one of the very rare times that she was right -seriously though, the way that Akko was only right when it worked to her detriment was starting to annoy her! Like what were the odds!? Akko was half tempted to blame aliens… 

****

“THANKS LOTTE!” Akko yelled as Lotte ran past their group, high fiving her as they past each other. 

****

“So we’re ganna have a fight on our hands? Fine by me!” Amanda looked particularly pleased by the news. “Think you can keep up Kgkari, Hanbridge?”

****

“I believe I’ll hold my own just fine Miss O'Neil.” Huh, looks like Andrew could get competitive. Guess that’ll make this more fun. 

****

“I think you should worry about yourself Amanda. It wouldn’t look good if you eat to much of my dust.” Akko called out, smiling at the surprised look on Amanda’s face. 

****

“Is that right Kagari? Well how about the lot of us have ourselves a bet?” Oh, now  _ that _ sounds interesting.

****

“And what would this bet ential?” Andrew seemed interested as well.

****

“It better not be anything lame.” Akko challenged. She wasn’t entirely sure if she would participate but if it was just a bit of harmless fun then she wouldn’t mind. “If you get my hopes up for nothing then I’ll punch you Amanda!”

****

“Really? Then I guess I should make this interesting, huh?” Amanda put on an exaggerated pondering face as she tapped her chin -she was probably just pausing for effect. Before she pointed her finger up and her face brightened almost comically. “How about this? Whoever comes in last has to buy lunch for the others’ teams on saturday?” 

****

Oh, that was actually interesting… It would give her a chance to meet some other people and in the case she did end up losing, she could afford to pay for it. She had plenty of money considering she never went out. Or had friends over… Or had friends… Don’t judge her, people just can’t handle all her Kagari charm! 

****

“I’m in!” 

****

“Okay that’s one. How about you Hanbridge?”

****

“I believe there’s nothing wrong with a bit of friendly competition.” Andrew gave the two a smug glance. “And not having to pay for lunch for once sounds lovely. I think I’ll take part in this bet as well.” Funnily enough it seemed that Barbara was the one most surprised by his decision, as she falter a step or two when he agreed.

****

“Oh ho, cocky! I like it! What about you Barbara?” Now THAT had surprised them all. It seemed no one had expected her to include Barbara as well but neither Akko nor Andrew objected as Barbara thought it over.

****

It didn’t take long before Brabara raised to run on only two legs, slipping her flag’s pole into her hands. “S-Sure! I don’t see any reason why not!” 

****

Huh, Akko hadn’t expected her to accept. Much less sound so nervous about it. Akko had only seen her acting like a snob along with Hannah and didn’t think that Barbara would agree to having lunch with someone like her. Much less a trouble maker like Amanda -at least she seemed like a trouble maker, but Akko was really only going off of a couple days of seeing her shenanigans to judge by.

****

“That’s what I’m talking about! Let’s get this thing going. Because I think I can see our welcoming party up ahead.” Amanda pointed forwards, where a few students were trying -and failing miserably- to hide among some rubble that looked like it was left over from some sort of battle. What had happened? Had they tried to eliminate each other before anyone could grab a flag? 

****

Akko decided that it had probably been one or two kids who had attacked the others and the result was an all out brawl. She also decided that it didn’t really matter right now. There was only a mile left once they got past this ambush, and she doubted that  _ all _ of the remaining kids were included in the ambush. Now if only they could avoid giving away that they knew about the abush… 

****

“ALL RIGHT! COME AT US YOU COWARDS!” Aaaaaand, there goes the stratagy of playing stupid… She knew what Amanda’s thought process had been, it was just a stupid one.

****

Amanda was trying to make them attack sooner. She wanted a head on clash. And as much as Akko could appreciat the simpicity, it was a stupid plan. 

****

It would have been so much easier to avoid the ambush -that they already knew about!- and run on past, than to try and fight their way through a head on assault. But slipping past wasn’t an option anymore as all the student waiting at the ambush jumped from their hiding places after Amanda’s challenge. And even worse, there were a  _ lot _ more people then Akko had expected. 

****

… Akko let out an internal sigh as she prepared herself to fight, picking back up to her max speed. Well there’s not much to do about it now…

****

Barbara fell back to all fours, Amanda positioned herself lower to better keep her center of gravity, Andrew ignited more jets as her prepared to boost himself, Akko unclipped the flag from the top of her pole and tied it tightly around her waist so as to both protect the flag and give herself the option of using the pole as a weapon. 

****

Suddenly the students were upon them. Akko lost rack of the others participating in their bet as a honeycomb-esqu wall appeared in front of her. It was a translucent yellow and looked like a bunch of hexagon’s had been connected together to form a larger shield. “There you are normie!” 

****

Akko looked up to see Hannah with her arm outstretched. She was standing on the top of one of the pipes that connected two of the buildings. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to stop you right there.”

****

Akko, in response, sped up.

****

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!” Hannah yelled indignantly as she opened her outstretched hand even further. At the same time the shield that blocked Akko’s path had a few more hexagons added onto the sides. 

****

That being said, Akko wasn’t planning on going around the wall. 

****

Akko brought the pole up as she neared the shield, holding it by one end as she pushed her legs to move even faster and ignoring the two students approaching the other side of the wall. 

****

“What are you doing! I said stop!”

****

Just as she was within a meter from the wall, Akko brought the staff down, pushing up with all her might as she pole vaulted over the wall, much to the distress of Hannah. Who then placed another, single, honeycomb in the air in front of Akko. But it wasn’t high enough, and Akko cleared it by turning her body horizontal and pulling herself over the top after grabbing it with her right hand.

****

Akko would have loved to bask in the unfiltered rage of Hannah’s shouting, but she had more pressing matters to deal with. Such as the kid who had transformed his arm into a giant concrete appendage and was currently moving to grab her out of the air. She hugged the pole to her chest as she angled her body to slip between two of his fingers. Rolling as she hit the hard surface of his arm and popping back onto her feet with a fluidity only achieved through years of practice.

****

She leapt off his arm right as she neared his shoulder, using the pole to both vault into the air over him, and send him stumbling forward as brought it down on his head. But Akko didn’t get a break as there was another student right behind him, and she had already outstretched her arm, probably to launch an attack with her quirk. But Akko didn’t give her a chance, as she twisted her body mid-air and utilized her momentum to land a kick to the right side of her jaw. Ah, the good old knockout button…

****

Sadly, Akko couldn’t properly reorient herself after the kick and ended up having to roll after hitting the ground. She tried her best to minimize the damage but she ended up rolling into a pile of rubble and disorienting herself. 

****

She pushed herself up, ignoring the pain in her side, back, and on both arms -these ‘training uniforms’ had almost no padding. But then again… she was used to the pain… 

****

Popping up on her feet she found herself surrounded. Louis was to her left -with an obnoxious grin on his face- and a girl that she didn’t recognize on her right. She had dirty blond hair and had a look that screamed ‘highschool cheerleader’, among other things. “Well, well. Look who we have here Chloe. Shall we teach her a lesson about respect?”

****

“Shut up Blackwell. I don’t care about your vendetta with the vermin. I just want the flag so I don’t fall further behind Cavendish.” Louis -apparently his last name was blackwell… Akko didn’t know if she had never learned it or if she had just forgotten, oh well- didn’t seem too upset about her snapping at him, as he continued monologuing moments later.

****

“This looks like it’s the end of the line for you normie.” He rose his hand mid sentence. “Now… Kneel!”

****

All of a sudden it felt like the air around Akko weighed one hundred pounds. But after a moment of reconsideration she realised that it wasn’t just the air, everything was heavier; her arms, the air, her clothes, even her organs felt like lead all of a sudden. And it seemed it wasn’t just on her. Some of the rocks on the ground around her suddenly crumbled as if under pressure. And when she looked over to the girl -Chloe, according to Blackwell- she was keeping her distance.

****

It must be his quirk, something with an area of effect? He didn’t seem to feel it as he walked towards her effortlessly. So it didn’t affect him? Was he increasing the weight of the air around her? No. Then only some of her insides would feel heavy, not all. What was he doing!? Wait… Everything feels heavier, the rocks crumbled and didn’t break… 

****

Akko had an idea. Well, two ideas. He was either increasing the pressure on any object within the area around her, or… Akko picked up an intact stone next to her and chucked it at Blackwell. The stone hit him dead in the stomach. And he yelped in pain as Akko felt some of the weight on her lessen. 

****

Bingo. She had hit him in the stomach but she had been aiming for the head. It had dropped drastically meaning that he was probably increasing the gravity in the area around her. Not the most concrete method of testing but it was enough for Akko to form a plan. 

****

“You miserable little wretch! I’ll show you where you belong you cur!” The gravity -at least according to Akko’s very logical tests and analysis- increased again as he charged forward. Akko didn’t have enough time to move as the spike in gravity pulled her towards the ground, making her an easy target as Blackwell delivered a kick aimed at her head. All she could manage was to jerk herself to the side, allowing the kick to land against her shoulder. “What do you think of that!” He yelled as he stomped down on Akko’s back. 

****

He wore an expression of catharsis, like he had won a great battle that would be sung about for years to come. As if he had achieved a feat worthy of legends the like of which would be told for generations. But as he swung his foot again and again and again, Akko could only think one thing… 

****

“Weak…”

****

“What?...” It was a single word… but the look on his face when she uttered it… it looked as if her had been struck by the greatest insult imaginable. 

****

“What was that! WHAT WAS THAT YOU INSIGNIFICANT VERMEN!” At this point Akko was looking him straight into his face. She could see the utter disdain and anger that covered his countenance… The look denoting a feeling of superiority… The look, that said she was worthless… 

****

She hated that look…

****

He was bringing his foot back down when Akko moved. She caught his boot easily, it’s not like his kicks had any force behind them anyways, he was practically just swinging his foot. If he wanted to take her down, he’d have to do much worse. “W-what are-”

****

He was on his back before he could finish his sentence. Akko had swept his other foot out from under him with the pole she had been using as a weapon. And his quirk -whatever it actually was, she couldn’t care less at the moment- had deactivated completely when his back hit the ground. “Yo-”

****

Once again he was cut off. But this time it was by Akko draggin him towards her with a rough jerk of his catured leg, and the solid connection of her boot on his face. “Heh, Only one stomp huh?” Akko stared down upon his unconscious body, blood leaking from his broken nose. 

****

He looked… so… weak…

****

Akko hated people like him. He couldn’t fight worth crap. Didn’t even know how to kick properly yet he thought that just because his quirk was powerful he could get by better than anyone else. He thought that because he had a good quirk, he was stronger than her. “Well look at where that fancy quirk got you. Under my boot.” 

****

Such a weakling, and he thought he could look down on her. No… Akko was sick of people like him. She had to wonder how many more would be like them… 

****

“Well damn.” Akko turned to look at Chloe, whom she had completely forgotten about up until now, a girl that she didn’t know. Would she be a weakling too? 

****

“Well? You wanna go, or are you just gonna stand there staring at me?”

****

“You gonna actually fight? Or are you going to just flail around pretending you’re hot stuff before I kick you butt?” Usually Akko would have been kinder, but right now Akko couldn’t care. She didn’t feel anything right now, not even the pain that she should feel after that fall and getting kicked so many times -even a weak kick can hurt after so many in a row.

****

“First off. I  _ AM _ ‘hot stuff’.” The girl punctuated with a raised finger. “Second off-” She had expected this girl to be a joke as well, but then she took her stance. Akko felt her heart skip a beat as she witnessed the familiar form. It wasn’t anything special, but that’s not what drew Akko’s attention. “I can fight just fine.”

****

It was a simple boxing form -Savate if the way she held her body was any indication-, but it was practiced, perfected. She held her body perfectly -well, her arms were out a little far but she could just have a different form than Akko. This was someone who knew how to fight!

****

Akko could feel her blood pumping with excitement, Finally someone who wasn’t all talk! Well… At least Akko hoped so… She wouldn’t know unless she actually fought her. But as she could feel her excitement growing she also felt something else. Urgency… 

****

She had forgotten, even if only for a short moment, that they were in the middle of a test. And she also had a bet going, along with the fact that the longer she spent in the middle of this group, the more likely it was someone would take her flag. 

****

Damn…

****

She really wanted to fight this girl… But really only because she was the first person Akko had seen with any form of fighting technique so far. But she couldn’t dawlde here any longer, and it’s very unlikely that none of the others would know how to fight. She would get another chance, but right now she had a bet to win. “Sorry. I would love to take you on, but it looks like I’ll have to postpone this fight for now.”

****

Akko was going to turn so she could flee, but the girl leapt at her before she got the chance. Chloe delivered a short barrage of kicks, yep Savate, that Akko promptly dodged with a few steps backwards. Akko knew she recognised the stance. “I’m gonna need that flag before you go.” 

****

Well it looks like she’s gonna have to fight after all. Akko smiled as she brought the pole up to defend against the next set. Predictable she threw a few more kicks, they weren’t really powerful, more of savate’s equivalent to a jab, but still dangerous if they landed. Akko brought her staff up to defend against the first one from the left but had to back pedal when the girls foot seemingly phased through the pole. She ended up landing the blow on Akko’s chin, as Akko couldn’t pull back fast enough.

****

Great… Phasers are the worst. While not an advantageous opponent, Akko still had a plan just for situations like this. So she waited.

****

The next attack came as suspected, she was probably trying to get a sequence off. But this time Akko moved into it, pushing closer towards the girl to minimizing the attack’s damage as the shaft of the leg hit her and not the foot. 

****

Chole had to regain her footing, as landing an attack incorrectly tended to make you do, and as she pushed backwards, Akko struck. She swung the pole from the left side, predictably the girl didn’t block -she was going to let it phase through most likely- but that’s what Akko wanted. The pole was just a distraction as she twisted her hips at the same time aiming for the girls right thigh and pistoning her leg out -she had to pull the pole back to keep her balance, otherwise she would have likely landed that hit too. The bottom of her boot made solid contact sending the girl back as she clutched her leg in her hands.

****

Akko couldn’t help but find it ironic, she had used a Savate move to beat a  tireuse. Hah! But she wasn’t done yet. 

****

Just as Chloe was recovering Akko spun the rod and slammed it into the ground digging up dirt and debris before flicking the poll in Chloe’s direction, covering her in a cloud of dust and effectively blinding her. 

****

By the time the debris had cleared, Akko was already gone. As she had turned and burst into a full pace dash towards the finish line just as she delivered the attack. 

****

It didn’t take her long to make her way past everyone else, they had mostly begun fighting amongst themselves at this point. And, to her surprise, as she was making a break for the finish line she noticed Andrew almost directly next to her.

****

“Hello there!” He called out as he slowly gained ground. “Seems we both got caught up in there!”

****

Akko couldn’t help but laugh, well almost. She had decreased it to a small chuckle so it didn’t count! “Yeah, you could say that!” Akko called back as she smiled. “But it looks like you had a harder time!” Andrew was, in a word, ruffled… Okay she didn’t say it was a very descriptive word, but it still worked! 

****

His whole outfit now consisted of a very ripped and burnt pair of pants and his beaten up tank top.

****

He simply smiled as he offered a retort, “Is that so? Well I guess winning that lunch will be well worth it then!”

****

Now, Akko couldn’t help but laugh. “You wish!” Both of them picked up their speed as much as possible, Akko’s already impressive run nearly doubling and most of Andrew’s jets firing off at once at near maximum blast, effectively burning most of his tank top -but to be fair it wasn’t really their fastest since they still had almost a mile to run and if they had been sprinting full force then they probably wouldn’t have gotten far before running out of steam. Much less if they had been doing so this whole time.

****

They held their pace for the rest of the run only slowing down ever so slightly when they got within 300 meters of the finish line as they noticed Amanda emerging from a smoke cloud right behind them. She looked like she had been through the ringer a few times and her stop sign was replaced by a chunk of concrete.

****

Akko and Andrew looked at each other and simultaneously shared a knowing nod… Before breaking out at their actual fastest possible sprints. Amanda noticed and attempted to raise her speed enough to catch up but couldn’t manage to close the distance before they reached the finish line. 

****

Andrew finished a good three meters ahead of Akko, but it didn’t really matter as Amanda finished over thirty behind Akko. They waited for her at the finish line, where some of the kitchen staff were handing out water bottles. “Well Miss O'Neil, it does seem that you owe us a lunch.”  Andrew said while Akko gently placed a cold, unopened water bottle on Amanda’s forehead. What? She had been lying on her back with her eyes closed! Akko thought it was perfectly normal… 

****

Plus, her reaction was funny…

****

“GUAH” Amanda yelled, a response to the mixture of the sudden cold sensation on her head and the fact that she lost. “WE DON’T KNOW WHAT PLACE BARBARA CAME IN YET!” Amanda’s tone was extremely defensive and it almost made Akko laugh. “She could still be in there for all we know!” 

****

“Nope. Sorry Amanda, but she finished before either of us.” Akko pointed to the floating screen that showed everyone’s positions. In the first place was Diana, second was Frank -apparently he had just switched places with the one of the kitchen staff at the finish line when he got within sight of it-, followed by a girl named Mary who had probably taken one of the other roads, and then Barbara after her.

****

“What?... Augh, that sucks… But, a bets a bet!” Amanda sat up and downed her water bottle in one swoop. Slamming it down as she finished and pushed herself up. “Looks like I owe you all lunch, how’s next Saturday sound?” 

****

“We should probably confirm with Miss Parker first.” Andrew pulled out his phone and began typing. 

****

An action that confused Akko greatly, for two separate reasons. “You have Barbara’s phone number?” Was the first question Akko asked.

****

“Our parents are acquainted. They used to be partners but they’ve since went their separate ways.” Andrew typed out a small message before he finished. “We’ve talked before, just not frequently.” 

****

Now for Akko’s second question. “And you brought your phone into a test with actual combat?” 

****

Before Andrew could answer his phone ‘dinged’ and he looked down to read the message. “Miss Parker said that Saturday was fine with her and Diana.”

****

“Sweet!” Amanda jumped up from her place on the ground and sauntered off in the direction of the girls’ locker room. “Now that that’s settled, I’m going to get cleaned up.”

****

“I believe that I shall follow Miss O'Neill’s example. I shall see you once I’ve freshened up.” Andrew began his trek to the boys’ locker room in the opposite direction. Apparently they had some trouble with some of the kids using their quirks to look into the other sex’s locker room. They had once been right next to each other, but as neither gender couldn’t seem to keep their eyes out of the other’s business, they had moved them to the opposite sides of the school.

****

Oh, well… Akko guessed she should probably get changed as well. But she spared one more glance to the board before walking off. She had finished the almost fourteen mile run in a little over forty minutes, forty four to be exact… It was good. But not good enough…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world record for distance covered in one hour is 21,285 metres or 13.226 mi, set by Haile Gebrselassie. And Akko's running speed in this chapter comes out to around 19 mph. For those of you who were wondering. I doubt that any of you were wondering any of that, I'm just a statistics nerd.
> 
> Anyways, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns, leave them in the comment's below. I'll be sure to answer them! I also want to know how well the "action" of this chapter flowed. So make sure to tell me what you thought
> 
> I was up until 2 in the mourning to get this finished, with no one to beta for me, send help and tea!


	6. Friends! Old new and In Between!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko and Diana take some time, individually, to reflect on some complicated feelings in the morning. The second day of school is in session as Akko and Diana finally find some time to chat. And Ursula and Badcock go on a mission together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello every one! Welcome to the fifth chapter and thanks to every who commented on the last chapter! As of the day of posting this chapter that includes; BSoulstone, vickycaro42, Globus, p4ntry-d3mon, RaZGriZx86, WildDonutHeart, FlamingPotatoArson, Anon, and saime13 -who technically commented on the prologue and not the last chapter, but they did it within the time frame so I'll mention them as well because I love all and any comments!
> 
> Okay! Now that that's out of the way, I have a lot to say in the notes! So let's get to it!
> 
> First is a VERY big thanks to p4ntry-d3mon, who DREW FANART FOR THIS STORY!?!?!?! You can find the piece here https://p4ntry-d3m0n.tumblr.com/post/186531490669/yo-if-you-guys-like-diakko-you-should-check-out (as long as I actualy link it right) and it's absolutly beutiful! I never imagined than anyone other than me would read this fic, let alone like it enough to draw fanart for it! You should all go check it out and see the wonderful job they did! I seriously can't thank them enough!
> 
> The next thing is that I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out. I had friends visiting from out of state on top of Diakko week coming up soon and all the other projects I already have; in short. I'm dying so please send tea. But I used some of that time to read over the other chapters of this story and... Yikes. I noticed a whole mess of phrasing mistakes, grammar errors, and just entire sections not coming across as I had meant for them to. I guess that's what I get for not having a Beta. So I've decided that when I get a chance I'll go back and fix everything up so that it's easier for new readers to digest. But it may take me a while to do.
> 
> Third is that I never mentioned that I drew inspiration for Akko's not-curses from the story Chance of Fire by V_Parallel. It was one of my favorite things from that fic and I don't like cursing as is, so it seemed like a perfect little nod to work into the story.
> 
> Fourth: Since I made you guys go so long without a chapter I decided to combine the next two into one... But then I got to 10k words and realized that I still hadn't gotten past the first scene in what was probably going to be another lengthy chapter even without combining them. So I ended up not mixing every thing from the two and only carried over a few scenes. from the second into the first... so... yeah. If a few of the scenes feel out of place or random that's why. But this did let me inject a little Diakko fluff into this chapter!
> 
> Fifth: So I mentioned this before but I started this story as Anonymous for a few reason, the foremost being that I'm a new author and wasn't confident enough in my writing to put my username out there yet. But the support for this has been so much greater than I had expected that I'm not really worried about that anymore. I still know that I'm not the best author but I'm not that uncomfortable with having people know I wrote this now. The only reason I haven't moved it out of Anonymous yet is because I prefer the unfiltered feed back I get when I mention the fic and people don't know that I wrote it. I feel that if some of the people who comment saw who I was they would either stop commenting, or sugar coat everything when I asked them because they don't want to hurt my feelings. It's probably not as important as I'm making it... But if I do take it out of anonymous than it'll probably be within the next two or three chapters.
> 
> Okay, I had more to say but I'm nearing the character limit for the notes. So I'll save everything else for a later date and just say thank you for all your support. And please comment! I reply to them all (even if my spelling is awful since I use mobile to reply to them) and I love feed back, both good and bad!

**Chapter 5: Forgetting old habits.**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

****

What is pain? A notion? An emotion? Or is it nothing more than a sensation? An unavoidable facet of life that can’t be eluded, prevented, or escaped? There’s only one answer to each of those questions… 

****

No.

****

The truth is simple. At least to Akko. As she looks on at the reminders of her pain, as she counts the failures branded on her skin… 

****

She knows the truth. Pain is nothing more than a memory. It’s not unavoidable. It can be prevented. It can be escaped. Like she said, it’s simple.

****

If a person tries, really tries, they can completely avoid any and all pain for their entire lives. They can live their whole existence never knowing what real pain feels like. They’ll scrape their knees and get little cuts, but these aren’t real pain. With the right effort, and a lot of luck, many people have “escaped” pain. But there is only one issue with escaping pain…

****

Those who do… Are weak… 

****

Those who run, and hide, and do everything in their power to stop themselves from getting hurt will never know the humiliation, and rage that comes with failure. They won’t have the spirit or the determination to push past that failure. To ensure that they never fail again. They won’t be strong enough to win.

****

Akko’s not strong enough… Not to win. She’s strong, stronger than most… But it’s not enough. No matter how strong she’s gotten, these scars still remain. And they always will. So she’ll keep pushing forward, into the pain. If that’s what it takes to get stronger, if she just has to endure the worst pain imaginable to achieve her dreams, then she’ll do it.

****

Akko had a teacher who once told her something. Something that was ground into her head and something that she may never forget, _“People say scars show how strong we are, how much we’ve survived. But they’re wrong. Scars show how much we’ve failed, they show how weak you are and no matter how hard you try, you’ll_ **_never_ ** _get rid of them. Never get rid of those failures that stain your skin.”_

****

She hated him. She hated them all. And these scars…  

****

Were the reminders that she would never get rid of. That is pain. That is the truth that Akko knows. 

****

Pain is physical. You can feel it. Prevent it. Avoid it. 

****

But no matter how much you try to ignore it, it’s still there. It still happened. And maybe, one day, you’ll be strong enough to prevent it… That is Akko’s dream.

****

But for now, she’s far to weak. She knows it, more than anyone else, she knows how weak she is. And that’s why she won’t stand for others trying to tell her what she already knows.

****

She knows it every time she looks in the mirror. Every time she covers her failures. Every time she refuses to close her eyes as a new reminder is made.

****

But she couldn’t dwell anymore. It was almost time to go. So as she pulled on her armings and leggings, as she covered her failures, her resolve was renewed. Today would be the first hero exercise. Today, she would get closer to her dream…

****

* * *

****

What is hope? Is it just a fantasy? A wish? A notion of a happiness that my never come to fruition? Can you create it? Can you take it? Can you give it? There are probably many answers to these questions. But Diana only knows one…

****

Yes.

****

The truth is never simple. At least not to Diana. As she reviews the same old documents, the same old promises, the ones that used to give her hope. But now they only fill her with the same feelings of self prophesied dread and regret. Like she said, it’s never simple.

****

If a person holds on with everything they have, and give themselves to something with all of their being, then they can make their hopes into a reality. But that road is long and filled with setback after setback. It will be difficult, and at some points it may even seem impossible. But if you can push past that, if you can devote everything you have to the ideals that you strive for, and overcome any difficulties, then you can make hopes into reality.

****

It will be a road filled with pain and strife, Diana’s well aware of this. She will, undoubtedly, not come out of this endeavor without scars. But that doesn’t bother her.

****

To Diana, scars are proof. The results of striving for your goals and overcoming the challenges along the way.

****

Someone important once told her something. Something that she’s held on to, and continues to believe till the day. “Diana, when you see someone who needs help, I need you to know that it’s okay not to have an answer to their problems. It’s okay not to know what to do, as long as you try your hardest to help them. Everyone has their challenges and everyone deals with them differently, you just have to remember that failure makes you stronger and even if you can’t help them now, you may be able to some day.”

****

Diana has no scars. Not physical ones anyways. But this does not make her ashamed her either. 

****

One shall go through life and acquire many forms of scars and marks, after arriving at many different forms of challenges and strife. Just because her’s are not visible does not make them any less real. 

****

But it’s times like these when her burdens feel heavier than ever. A time filled with false promises and overzealous claims. And memories come flooding back to her. Those same images of that hospital bed, the one she’s now so far from. 

****

And with the memories comes those familiar feelings of her wishes, of her hopes. The hope to one day hold that person in her arms and be held. To be protected from the world once again, after having been so unceremoniously thrust into the middle of it without any protection. 

****

But those were just hopes… And Diana had long accepted that she will have to solve her own problems. Any more surgeries or treatments would do more harm than good at this point.

****

So all she could do was politely decline and inform the doctor to stick with the current treatments. To hope that they would be enough to keep them alive until a more concrete cure was found. Until Diana could find a better, more permanent solution. 

****

But for now, it was time to go. She had duties to fulfill and she could not afford to slack off.

 

* * *

****

“Oh, look. She’s actually on time today.” Akko had promised to meet Lotte and Sucy in the same spot as yesterday. And this time she was on time! Point one; Akko! But that didn’t seem to be enough to appease Sucy’s apparent need to tease and/or never let Akko live it down.

****

“I told you, that was a mistake! It won’t happen again… Probably.” Akko wanted to promise that she wouldn’t be late again, but knowing her track record it was inevitable. So instead she just rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and tried not to look Sucy in the eyes. Half to support her lie and half because Sucy’s far off stare was extremely unnerving. It’s always like she’s not really paying attention to the conversation, and is more focused on something far off that she can see by looking through you.

****

“Well that’s reassuring. I honestly can’t tell if it would have just been better to lie to our faces. I still wouldn’t have believed you but it would have at least convinced Lotte. Even she doesn’t buy the crap your selling when you put it that way. Right Lotte?” Sucy turned to face Lotte -well it was more like she tilted her head slightly and glanced at her so that she didn’t have to move her head. But it was enough that she couldn’t see Akko sticking her tongue out at her. HA, take that completely childish show antagonization! 

****

“O-oh. Um-...” Lotte looked like she had just been put on camera in front of all of Britain. Akko didn’t know if it was impressive how easily she got flustered, she had the general appearance and temperament of a shy child but it was still surprising how she was embarrassed by every other little thing, or concerning how she would probably have trouble dealing with villains in the future. But then again that same disposition would probably earn her a lot of fans with that kind of peculiar taste. Some people are weird like that.

****

“It’s okay Lotte. You don’t have to answer that.” That seemed to have settled her nerves at least slightly. Akko was still getting used to deal with people in a friendly manner after so long. The only people she had really interacted with nicely for the past five years have been Ursula, Akira, and Jin. And they didn’t count since Akira and Jin were family and Ursula might as well be. And even before all her friends left her, she never had to deal with someone who was so timid about everything.

****

“Thanks Akko.” Lotte breathed out a little sigh of relief as the tension visibly left her shoulders. “How has your morning been?”

****

“Um, fine? Thanks for asking.”

****

“Was that a question?” Sucy seemed almost amused at this point. And she probably was if the glint in her eyes said anything about it. Whether or not that glint was happy, amused, or the terrifying look of a viper moments before it strikes and begins to slowing inject venom into your bloodstream while quietly choking the life out of you is up for debate. But she chose to believe it was amused. Purely because it was the most logical option that didn’t end up with her corpse melted down and used for whatever experiment that Sucy had planned.

****

“Uh… No?”

****

“You just did it again. Is ‘how has your morning been’ really that hard a question?” Sucy seemed to really enjoy messing with Akko specifically. As the amused -as Akko choose to deem it- look had changed to something that Akko could confidently say was an almost gleeful look in her otherwise blank eyes.

****

But Akko chose to ignore it -now that it didn’t possibly prophesied her imminent death and subsequent melting. She had dealt with much worse than this for the last ten years, so Sucy’s friendly -at least Akko choose to believe it was friendly and not the ‘I will melt your corpse’ variety- teasing was very welcomed in all honesty. “Well I’ve been training all morning so I can’t really say that it’s been good. But it hasn’t been bad either so I don’t really know how to answer.”

****

“You could say that it’s ‘been okay’. That’s neither good nor bad.” Sucy had suggested it rather disinterestedly but Akko wasn’t going to miss the chance to have an actual conversation. Not when she had promised Ursula to at least _try_ and make an effort. And when the prospect of growing closer to Sucy better insured that she wouldn’t be melted -Akko honestly had no idea why she was convinced that Sucy would melt her corpse down, but it seemed like something the strange girl would do.

****

“Yeah but it seems too… Uninvested. Fine sounds better. It’s not bad, not too good, and it sounds like it has enough effort behind it that you don’t think I’m trying to blow the conversation off.” Akko made a point to punctuate her response with hand movements that definitely accented her point. They totally didn’t make her look like some crazy storyteller from a far off land. Nope, definitely not… Even though she technically was, actually, from a far off land… But that’s not important.

****

“Uh huh… I see nothing wrong with that logic whatsoever.” Sucy rolled her eyes as she leaned back against a wall. Pulling out a small, yet extremely packed with slips of paper, notebook from her bag and flipping through the pages as she jotted something down.

****

To say that Sucy was an actual mystery to Akko, would be an understatement. She generally seemed disinterested in most things. Even during the test yesterday, she hadn’t seemed even slightly interested before hand. Yet she still manages to do better than most without any drive to do so. Like later on yesterday, when Akko had learned that Sucy had actually placed only two spots below Akko, in the spot after Amanda, despite not even moving when everyone else began running. Apparently she had come sauntering up past the finish line with a flag while Akko had been changing, and then had left before anyone else could finish or even say anything to her. She didn’t even wait for Lotte to finish, or a professor to confirm that she could go. She just up and left.

****

But her disinterest in the test isn’t what Akko didn’t understand. People were normally disinterested with test so that’s not what surprised her. What’s surprising about Sucy is how powerful she is despite the disinterest. After learning that she had just up and left after the test, Akko had also learned that she was the reason at least eight other kids weren’t able to finish. She had apparently defeated them all when they had come back with their flags, rendering them unconscious for six hours after the test. It was strange, to see a person with so much power not care about said power. Usually someone like her would brag and go on and on about their quirk like they were one of the next Nine or even All Might. But Sucy seemed to be a different case entirely.

****

As they fell into a relaxed conversation, Akko couldn’t help but wonder what her motives were. Why did she want to be a hero? She obviously didn’t seem interested in any of this. So what drove her to the hero track? Was she just so strong that the easy money, someone like her was guaranteed a spot with one of the big companies even if she didn’t improve from this point on, was too good to pass up? Akko hadn’t heard anything about her family, they hadn’t been listed on her roster bio, but could they be the reason? Or maybe she actually just wanted to make a difference. Akko would have tried working it into the conversation as they continued, but her phone alarm went off before she had a chance.

****

“Looks like we have fifteen minutes until class. We should get going.” She let out a disappointed sigh. She wanted to ask them about their reasons for being heroes, but… She could only hope that she’d get the chance later.

****

“Do you always have that thing on?”

****

“Hmm?” Akko had almost missed Sucy’s question as she turned to go to the classroom… Okay so maybe she had missed it but then noticed that Sucy and Lotte weren’t following -which, in Akko’s experience, usually means that she had been asked a question that she had promptly, even if it was an accident, ignored.

****

“I think she means that little alarm…” Lotte clarified after a few moments of silence. Why Sucy hadn’t just reiterated the question was beyond Akko, but it’s likely that Sucy had thought Akko was purposely ignoring her. It wouldn’t be the first time. Well, she should probably answer the question soon, otherwise it _would_ seem like she was being purposely rude, rather than _accidentally_ rude… Oh yeah, now would be good.

 

“Oh, yeah. I use it to keep track of the time. I have a horrible sense for keeping schedules.” Not the entire truth, but Akko wasn’t about to let them know how useless her brain was. Not yet at least. 

****

Akko had learned through experience that admitting any weakness was a mistake. It didn’t matter if they found out on their own, as long as she didn’t say it out loud… Then they couldn’t use it against her.

****

She didn’t want to say that she expected them to, they were supposed to be friends -at least Akko liked to imagine they were- but Akko had already learned that a friend is only an enemy who hasn’t tried to stab you through the back yet. Literally, at least in Akko’s case… 

****

“We should get going or we’ll be late.” Akko turned before Sucy had a chance to fire off another one of her sarcastic quips. She seemed to really love being snarky. It kind of made Akko wonder if Sucy had friends that did the same thing to her. Maybe she should try being a bit snarkier… No, probably not. But Akko would keep it in mind.

****

She could hear them follow her after a few moments, catching up on the way. Of coarse Akko just barely noticed this, making her wonder if there was a reason that it was surprisingly hard to hear their footsteps. Lotte was understandable; she was a small girl and she took her steps close to the ground, barely lifting her feet but just enough to not stand out visually. So it would be more surprising if she made more noise than she currently did. But Akko still found several things strange about her new friends -hopefully friends. 

****

If there was one thing Akko was good at, besides eating twice her body weight in food and holding her breath -she was very proud of her twenty four minute record, it would have been more but one of the kids had started freezing the pool over and she wasn’t prepared to test her ‘breath holding skills’ until it thawed out-, then she could proudly say that it was observation. 

****

She had probably picked the habit up from her mother’s tutoring and all the experimental trials she had been forced to do at her mother’s company -it was practically her mother’s favorite pastime. But she always made sure to watch people closely when she first met them. It wasn’t meant to be creepy or anything But Akko had learned that first impression aren’t the most accurate way to learn of a person, and observing them over a short period of time was the better option for learning about them. And she had noticed a lot about Sucy and Lotte.

****

As mentioned before, Lotte would move around like she was perpetually avoiding an unknown predator. She held her body close and spoke very little. It was almost like she was nervous to say anything wrong. Sucy was almost the exact opposite. Unlike Lotte’s quite steps, Sucy's were absolutely and completely silent. She made no sound whatsoever as she walked, despite her stride being only ever so slightly smaller than a normal person’s. She also seemed generally disinterested in any and everything. It was hard to get a reading on her, and the almost perpetual far off look in her eyes didn’t help. It’s strange to think that three people who were so different could be friends, but Akko wasn’t about to give up trying.

****

Another quick thing that peaked Akko’s interest, was the conversation in the hallway. 

****

As the red team -Akko still couldn’t get over how ecstatic she was that she had gotten her favorite color for a team- walked down the corridor towards the class, the hallway was particularly quite… Okay, well not entirely. It was still filled with people who were talking about this and that and whatever random crap they wanted, but the conversations that had one topic in particular were what Akko found peculiar. A lot of the conversations about her, had gotten quite… 

****

They were still loud enough to hear but they weren’t any where near the volume that they had been yesterday. It was still entirely obvious that they hated Akko and probably wanted her to die, but they were more reserved about it. Maybe it was her placement in the test yesterday? It’s possible that a few of the students were starting to grow interested in if she was really as good as her rank showed. Or maybe they were just biding her time until they could take her by surprise. It also wouldn’t be the first time for people to use a strategy like that against her.

****

That being said, the conversations about her that were still loud enough to hear were just as… annoying? Yeah let’s say annoying. Just as annoying as every.

****

“She’s back…”

****

“Seriously, they should just expel her already. She won’t make it past the first year.”

****

“Someone should just beat the crap out of her already and be done with it…”

****

She could practically feel Lotte’s worried stare on the back of her head. But she pretended to ignore them all the way to the classroom. It’s not like talking about it would do anything other than make people think it actually bothered her. And she definitely wouldn’t let that happen.

****

When they did finally arrive, Akko took a seat at the back again. This time Sucy sat on her left and Lotte took her right. Well at least they didn’t seem to have a problem with sitting in the back with her… That’s somewhat of a relief. This way she wouldn’t have to worry about two ill-intent students sitting next to her… Oh, and she also got a chance to bond with them more.

****

That being said, it was surprising when no one approached Akko at the beginning of the class today. And it’s not like they hadn’t seen her enter, Akko had been pulling out her supplies when she had caught a glimpse of Hannah giving her the death glare from the front of the classroom. She had gotten a really low placement on yesterday’s test so her ego was probably thoroughly bruised just like everyone else’s. Servers her right for that ambush stunt… 

****

“What in the world do you need all those things for?” Sucy seemed almost exhausted from glancing at Akko’s neatly -if a chaotic, yet still clean looking, pile could be considered neat- laid out supplies. 

****

“I have a very thorough note taking strategy, thank you very much.” Akko replied as she fished out her note book from her bag. Sucy simply shook her head and said nothing more as Lotte looked on with a small, soft, amused smile. Oh, that’s new. Maybe she’s getting comfortable with the two of them already. It wasn’t much, but Akko hadn’t expected her to offer anything beyond a polite nod for, at the very minimum, the first month.

****

That being said Sucy wasn’t unwarranted in her questioning. Akko had a hard time with studying and notes. And paying attention. And staying interested in lectures… She’s not going to continue that line of thought though because the list would be long enough to fill a book the size of an encyclopedia… Don’t judge her, she can’t help it!

****

So in order to help improve her grades, she had a system that helped both keep her interested in the subject material, and understand her notes when she went to study them. This note taking strategy required knowledge of an intricate symbol system that contained 13 different symbols that all denoted different things depending on where they were placed on a page, six different colored sharpies, five different colored pens, the utilization of several different kinds of charts, too many different styles of diagrams to count, and three different colored pencils. One regular graphite pencil, one pink colored pencil, and one mint-green colored pencil, and glittery stickers -that last one was, admittedly, mainly just to spice things up. This system utilized all these things in several varying combinations to maximize Akko’s note taking. The sticker were undoubtedly the most important part… In Akko’s opinion.

****

Not surprisingly, Akko hadn’t come up with this system by herself. Shocker, she knows. But it was actually an amalgamation of smaller strategies, each one taken from a different source. The main idea behind it’s organization came from her mother, believe it or not. The idea to use charts and diagrams came from Akira, the variety of colors for both the sharpies and the pencils came from Jin, and Ursula had helped her with the different symbols and some of the finer organization details. Akko had come up with the stickers herself… Don’t judge her.

****

It was a system that literally only four other people -her mother, Akira, Jin, and Ursula but that was probably obvious- in the world could understand, and no person in their right mind would even attempt to learn such an intricate system for taking notes. Yet it was the only way that she had been able to focus on lessons since even before she started training.

****

“You get weirder every minute I spend with you…” That was the normal response… And it’s not like she was wrong… 

****

“Thanks!” To say Akko was determined to become friends with these two, would be an understatement. And if she was being honest, Sucy has been more of a saint than anyone her age that she’s interacted with in the last five years, at a minimum! So she just hummed happily as Lotte chuckled softly to herself at the complete confusion that covered Sucy’s face. 

****

The expression was, admittedly, very funny. It honestly looked as if she had seen a penguin with three heads, nineteen flippers and the body of a lion… Actually that’s more terrifying than confusing in Akko’s book… Maybe… She honestly confused herself with this line of thought so she couldn’t really tell at the moment… where would the nineteenth flipper go? Nature’s always symmetrical -at least that’s what the crazy lady who painted stray cat’s outside of the train station said, and she’s inclined to believe an artist about that kind of stuff… Maybe she should just ask Jin- so where would the last flipper go? Would it be on its forehead? Would it have that flipper instead of a tail? What would you even call it? Lenguin? Lioguin… Penon… Pion? Wait, isn’t that a thing already? Too many questions…

****

* * *

****

To say that the non-hero courses were extremely monotonous, would be an understatement in Diana’s opinion. Not that she would ever actually say that out loud. These classes were important steps in their education, not only as heroes but also as well rounded individuals. To succeed in any field on must have a wealth of knowledge on any number of subjects. And these classes served to provide them with that crucial knowledge. It would be an insult to their teachers and the position of a hero itself to just up and discredit any of the learning process.

****

But that didn’t stop her from finding the classes a tad bit boring. She had already read and memorized half of the planned material for the next two semesters, so one couldn’t really blame her for her boredom. And Hannah’s sour mood had certainly not helped, as her angry mumbling throughout all of their core classes really hadn’t been appreciated.

****

Though Diana supposed she couldn’t really blame her. She could only imagine that anyone who attempted to use an underhanded tactic on someone, who they insisted was weaker, wouldn’t be the most pleased when they ended up thoroughly humiliated by that same individual.

****

Of course that wasn’t important anymore, as their core classes had just ended. It was time for their elective classes. And thankfully, at least considering how insufferable Hannah’s current mood had made her, she had none of those classes with either Hannah or Barbara. Her first elective was philosophy, a rather trite endeavor in Diana’s opinion but certainly a more interesting subject of study than the other topics that she was already far ahead in.

****

“I can’t believe you! Why would you accept a bet like that with the normie! And Amanda too! You know how me and her don’t get along.” Ah, it seems that Barbara had just informed Hannah of the bet and subsequent engagement she had agreed them to during the test. 

****

“Sorry, I was caught up in the moment… A-and besides, Atsuko’s really not that bad.” Hannah’s almost offended glare sent Barbara backpedaling almost as soon as the words left her mouth. “I-i, w-what I mean is- She could keep up with me in half form! She’s athletic at least, so she can’t be all that bad!” 

****

They may not have elective classes together, but that didn’t stop Hannah and Barbara from following her as far as they could until they passed the last corridor that lead to their next class, which they shared, not surprisingly. 

****

“You don’t have to attend Hannah. I’m sure that no one would mind it if you decided not to join us. Though I would rather you took the time to try and interact with some of our other classmates. And I feel obligated to remind you that even if you don’t approve of her, Atsuko has already proven that her prowess is undeniable at this point.” In all honesty, Diana was proud of Barbara. Deciding to participate in their bet was something she knew Barbara would not have done if Hannah or some of her other… unagreeable, acquaintances had been present. She was a sweet girl in reality, but easily swayed by the opinions of others. So it was nice to see her actively participate in something like this, especially when she must have known that she’d have to face Hannah’s wrath. And not only that but she had stayed firm in her intentions to attend despite Hannah’s objections. She was showing substantial growth since their time in highschool, so to say that Diana wasn’t pleased would be a lie… And knowing that she’s get another chance to speak with Atsuko… Well to say that it wasn’t an upside would be a horrible, boldface lie.

****

“W-well, I wouldn’t want to make you two deal with both the normie _and_ Amanda. That would be horrible of me!” Whether or not Hannah was just being pointlessly stubborn now, or if she didn’t actually have as much a problem with the situation as she let on was best left to conjecture at this point.

****

“It seems that this is where we part ways girls.” They had reached the last corridor that Hannah and Barbara would be able to traverse if they wished to arrive at class on time. “I shall see you both at hero training. Do attempt to keep your attention on your studies and not the other students.” Diana waved without turning as she departed, pointedly ignoring Hannah’s strangled protests as she nonchalantly sauntered off, and leaving Barbara to deal with the extremely frustrated Hannah. She had mainly added that last comment to insure that Hannah would have to acknowledge, at least internally, Diana’s dislike of her nonsense hatred towards someone she didn’t even know, let alone well enough to make judgments worth anything more than a grain of salt.

****

Now, if she remembered correctly, the professor of her philosophy class was the Mermaid hero - Brightscale, otherwise known as Sumi Pisces. Despite being one of the older heroes employed at Luna Nova as part of the staff, she had only recently started working at the school. And still performed an abundance of hero work on the side. On top of that she was the only professor who graduated from Luna Nova, left the country, and then later returned to Britain. She had apparently been one of the responding heroes at the ‘Lunar’s Fall’ crisis, in japan. And had moved back to England a few years following the event.

****

Apparently part of her quirk included a regeneration ability, meaning that even though she was nearing an age that most would consider elderly she still had the body and capabilities of a twenty year old. That was just one of the things that made regenerative quirks even more appealing, along with the ability to heal from grave injuries, you also lived much longer than the average age of someone without one. It’s what made them so desirable for quirk marriages back when they were a regular practice, even if that same average age had increased by a good decade or two since the emergence of quirks. This was also part of the reason why one had been introduced to the Cavendish bloodline and subsequently mixed into the hodgepodge of a quirk that had decided the head of the cavendish family for generations. The quirk that had decided her future before she could even speak.

****

While not as powerful as some of the other regeneration quirks used by certain heroes around the world, it would still keep her young well into the age where most would be decrepit and senile. She wasn’t entirely sure of how the process of regeneration quirks extended your life span -though she should probably look into the reasons behind it as it sounded like an interesting topic of study- since some of them weren’t constantly in effect. 

****

It would make sense if it were only the passive healing abilities that had this aspect, then you could simply say that the person's cells are constantly repairing the damage that occurs as an effect of time. But this wasn’t the case. Any quirk that allowed you to regenerate from damage dealt to yourself extended your life span considerably. Supposedly it had more to do with the quirk factor in that case -she vaguely remembered reading such in the past- but she couldn’t say for sure without doing further research into the topic. Of course this information was unimportant, and what she had to shift her focus to currently was her philosophy class. The class that she had already arrived in front of.

****

Now, Diana would hazard to say that her day at present had already been fairly acceptable in terms of quality. So you can imagine how elated she was when the first person she laid eyes on upon entering the classroom was the one person she had been meaning to speak to since their  last conversation yesterday morning.

****

It would appear that Atsuko shared this class with her. If that wasn’t fortuitous, then Diana didn’t know what would be. Maybe she would finally get the chance to apologize for her curt behavior in their earlier encounters, without having to deal with Hannah’s obnoxious bigotry -one of the few faults in Hannah’s character if you were to ask Diana, she was truly kind and protective of her friends otherwise. Not that Atsuko had been the most polite either. But considering the torment she must experience on a daily basis, Diana supposed she could let her rather rude attitude in their previous chat go uncommented on. In a piece of overdramatic fiction the main perspective character would say think something along the lines of how this was the time to enact part one of plan ‘learn more about the beautiful and athletic Japanese girl in class’. Phase one: fix whatever damage had been done on your first encounter. But Diana was most certainly not the perspective character in a piece of over dramatic fiction...

****

As Diana approached Atsuko, she couldn’t help but notice that she sat at the back of the classroom once again. She had done so in all of their previous classes. Was there a reason for it? In all honesty, it seems like it would only make paying attention to the lecture more difficult. But of course it probably wouldn’t matter all that much since the classroom was designed so that the professor would be audible from anywhere in the room. And the microphone they wore just in case didn’t hurt either. 

****

“Is this seat taken?” Atsuko had been looking through a book while waiting for class to begin, and Diana thought it would be polite to announce her presence by asking for her permission. It was only proper for one such as Diana to maintain her upright statues in society by taking the polite route, and the surprising shock that graced the girls countenance was certainly a plus as well. She had a cute little button nose and a soft face with perfectly round cheeks, a somewhat curious feature considering her rather muscular physique, and both seemed to make all her expressions all the cuter. 

****

“O-oh, um… Sure! Go ahead.” And if you were to see Diana’s face as she accepted Atsuko’s invitation to sit, then you never would have guessed that her heart was currently exploding from having just seen the brightest most beautiful smile in the world. She was actually a smidge surprised that Atsuko seemed so happy to accept. Their last conversation hadn’t ended on the best of notes, so it was nice to see her so happy. Though, in hindsight, she probably should have expected it considering her acceptance of Barbara’s participation in that bet of theirs. 

****

In a piece of over dramatic fiction, this would mean that it was the perfect time to proceed with phase two: get to know her to better decide if you wish to pursue a romantic relationship.

****

“Thank you. I wasn’t aware that you had this class as well.” Diana placed her bag down as she began the conversation. Making sure to place it on the side opposite of Atsuko so she could sit a bit closer to the girl. 

****

“I didn’t expect to see you here either. Or anyone else really. Not many people are into philosophy nowadays so I thought I’d have to suffer through this class all alone.” Akko returned her book back to her bag as she responded. Diana hadn’t seen much of the cover but she could tell it was either old, well used, or both by the faded blue color. Maybe she should ask about it after class.

****

“You see philosophical discussions as a form of suffering? Certainly an interesting choice of elective in that case.” 

****

“The philosophy isn’t the part that makes me suffer.”

****

“Oh? Then please do tell, what is?” Diana prompted her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hands, taking the chance to admire the brunette as she casually set out a comical number of supplies; humming a cheery tune during her preparations. There wasn’t much remarkable to say about her outfit, it was the standard Luna Nova uniform. But as Diana looked closer it became clearer that she had made a few modifications: The skirt was _much_ shorter for one, the standard skirt length fell just below the knees while her’s ended about half way down her thigh -not that it matters since she had leggings underneath so she wasn’t showing any skin. And her jacket had been altered as well; changed from the standard structured jacket to more of a fitted silhouette style. It wasn’t entirely unallowed since there were rules that stated that students were able to alter their uniforms. It was originally implemented in order to better accommodate the wide range of body types that came with having a number of students with mutation quirks. That said the changes could still get her in trouble if any of the other students complained about them, but Diana wasn’t about to be that student.

****

“Having them alone is what makes them unbearable.” She flashed Diana a small smile as she finished laying out her supplies. But the smile quickly turned shy as she rubbed the back of her head. “I’ve also been wanting to talk to you since yesterday… I wanted to apologize.”

****

“Oh, is that so? Funnily enough I had the same desire.”

****

“Talk or apologize?”

****

“Both.”

****

“What? Why? You didn’t do anything to apologize for.” Atsuko’s head popped up in confusion from her position leaning over her notebook.

****

“Indeed I did. I wished to apologize for my curt behavior at the orientation, and even during our previous encounter yesterday. I should have had more patients when talking with you.” Atsuko looked both surprised and confused at the same time.

****

“But I was the one who was rude.” Her countenance morphed to one of regret as she looked down. An ashamed look overtaking her expression, one that Diana only wish to erase from her countenance as it didn’t match her personality in the slightest. “I jumped to conclusions about the type of person that you would be. It’s the same thing that I hate when people do to me, but I still didn’t even give you a chance…”

****

“It’s quite alright Atsuko. I can guess that growing up without a quirk hasn’t been the easiest in terms of interacting with people from backgrounds similar to mine. So it is only proper that I apologize for my inconsideration, though I would ask that you not make assumptions about me or any others in the future.” Atsuko wore that same expression, the one that seemed a mixture of surprise and confusion. It was actually a small bit funny, in Diana’s completely unbiased opinion.

****

“Nope.” When she did respond, her initial answer was so short that Diana almost missed it. And once she did register the response she had to take a moment to think about it. What was she saying no to? Diana asking that she not make assumptions? That hardly seems correct, but Diana couldn’t be sure.

****

But before she could ask for any further clarification, Atsuko continued. “I can’t allow you to apologize.” Oh… That’s what the ‘nope’ was about. “It wouldn’t be right when I was so rude. So instead, I’ll ask for your forgiveness.” Atsuko turned towards Diana in her seat and bowed her head as far as she could with the table in front of her. “I apologize sincerely. And hope that we can become friends in the future.” 

****

Diana was a bit too surprised to say anything, for the first few moments at least. But after she regained her senses she couldn’t stop the small smile that spread across her face. This girl was too much! Even her overly serious apology was too adorable for Diana to reasonably handle. Which is why she couldn’t help but test out how familiar she could get with Atsuko. She probably shouldn’t risk alienating the girl right after they’ve gotten on good terms, but she couldn’t help but ‘test the waters’ if  you would. If she was to pursue Atsuko, which was exponentially more probable now than it had been after their last encounter -especially since they had actually talked this time-, then the last thing she wanted was to be attempting to court a girl who had no romantic interest in her whatsoever. 

****

So moving as swiftly and steady as she could, she placed her hand gently under Atsuko’s chin, and lifted it to meet her gaze. Making sure to keep her hold and movements as soft as she could manage, smiling sweetly all the way. “Your apology is accepted. And I would love to be friends with you, Atsuko.” In a piece of over dramatic fiction, this would be the part where the perspective character would say; ‘phase one completed’.

****

Diana couldn’t help but internally revel in the slight blush that spread across Atsuko’s cheeks. It was just a slight shade of pink but she counted it as a great achievement. Along with Atsuko’s stammered response as she didn’t even try to hide her flustered state. “I-I… A-um.” she forced a fake cough out to try and hide her fumbling. It didn’t work. “U-um, what I mean is; that’s great!”

****

And suddenly her brilliant smile burst into life once again. Taking over her features as she ignored the still present blush, one that only grew as Diana _‘accidentally’_ brushed her fingers along Atsuko’s jaw briefly as she withdrew her hand. It had been a risky move, and most definitely far too forwarder than she was likely to be in the near future. But it was made worth it when Atsuko made no attempt to say anything about it, continuing to talk without giving Diana any time to reply. “You can call me Akko by the way! It’s nice to finally meet you!... Well actually meet you, and not just assume you’re a horrible person then yell at you.” 

****

“It’s a pleasure Akko. I hope that we can grow close in the future.” 

****

“Ye-yeah! That would be awesome.” Akko’s reply was bashful but never lost any of her exaggerated excitement. And Diana couldn’t help the smile that remained on her face as the class started and professor Pisces took her place at the front of the classroom. If she knew anything for certain, this class certainly wouldn’t be boring.

 

* * *

****

“It’s about time you got here!” Badcock yelled as Ursula slipped through the open window. Her expression easily gave away her irritation. Let alone the fact that she was shouting while in enemy territory.

****

“A-ah, sorry… I was held up by Headmistress Holbrooke. You know how she loves costumes… She wouldn’t let me go until she had gone over all of this one’s special features.” Sadly, it was true. Holbrooke had commissioned her a new costume since she refused to use her old one. It was a nice gesture, the costume was rather simple with a two tone maroon and plum color scheme. And it would blend in with her school robes, so she would always be ready to take action. But Ursula still wasn’t too keen on being in costume again. At least not a real one, her hand made one had always sufficed for the last six years and she wasn’t trying to stand out anymore so it hardly mattered if she wore something fancy and expensive over cheap and homemade.

****

“Hmmm… That’s still no excuse for being tardy. Aren’t you faster than a cheetah or something? You should be able to get here _on time_ , regardless of setbacks! Now let’s get going!” Badcock marched off. Moving deeper into the decrepit building as Ursula followed. “Now, do you mind telling me why I’ve been dragged out here with you? Holbrooke wouldn’t cease her mysterious riddling and prattling on about the new students long enough to give me an exact answer.” 

****

So Holbrooke had assigned Badcock to help her? It wasn’t a bad choice but someone more… agreeable, would have been appreciated. That being said it really was a logical choice. Badcock’s quirk was the perfect blend of offensive and defensive capabilities. Meaning that, when combined with Ursula’s purely offensive and mobility based quirk, they would be able to effectively deal with almost any situation they found themselves in. And it was considerate of Holbrooke to allow Ursula to keep her past secret. She hadn’t told Badcock anything so that Ursula could decide how much information on her was let out among the other teachers, it was a considerate move. That being said… Sending her into enemy territory without any information was a bit reckless…  And it explained why she was all but ready to yell in the middle of enemy territory.

****

Almost as if on cue, Ursula hears an almost silent clicking sound with her enhanced hearing. It’s coming from just below the floorboards. A booby trap? Suddenly she heard the sound of a piston within the walls, turning just in time to see a panel on the wall next to them slide open. “Badcock, get down!”

****

Badcock turned just in time to see a flat metal box with antenna like protrusions emerge from behind the missing panel. Electricity sparked from the antennas before blasting out towards her. 

****

Ursula had less than a second to act, and she hadn’t charged enough energy to even get close to her max speed. But she could let that stop her. If this really was the hideout of who she suspected -which was only made more probable by the booby trap- then the electricity wouldn’t just stun Badcock. Especially since their enemy had probably been expecting Ursula to come alone like she had every other time so far. Croix had never been one to underestimate her opponents, and she knew Ursula’s limits better than anyone. She could only hope that this was some other technologically savvy villain’s hideout. That was possible, right? She didn’t have anymore time to think, as she activated her quirk, reaching within herself to summon the power stored deep within. The familiar tingling sensation sprung to life as she called all the energy she had passively built up on the way here. It wasn’t much… but it would have to do. 

****

Pouring energy into enhancing her legs, Ursula rocket forward. Grabbing Badcock and plowing down the hall as the electricity slammed against the wall, searing black scorch marks into its surface. 

****

Ursula set Badcock down as she began charging more energy. The white light arcing off of her body as she added whatever she absorbed into increasing her body’s strength and durability. “Be careful. We’re in an enemy hideout, where I believe a villain I’ve been following for a while is operating. Up until twelve hours this location was hot with villain activity, but since my last observation all movement has ceased. But we can’t believe that it’s not still active, so keep your guard up and move with me.” 

****

“Understood.” Badcock produced eight small, metallic, spheres from the pouches on her hips, holding on between each of her fingers. “We should use our hero names for the duration of this operation. You may call me ‘Phase’.”

****

It took Ursula a moment to shake of the odd confusion that Badcock’s sudden mood shift left in her head. She had a reputation for taking missions extremely serious but Ursula had only ever known the woman to be dismissive and judgmental, so being treated like an equal so suddenly was jarring, to say the least. That being said, they didn’t have all day to stand around. “Alright. My name is ‘Star Light’, just Star if it’s easier.”

****

“Roger that. Do we have any concrete data to go off?” They started a slow, cautious walk down the long hallway. “I’m not fond of walking into enemy territory blind.”

****

Ursula held up her hand, motioning for Badcock to stop as she peered around the corner. “All I’ve been able to learn before now is that this is where they would gather people to recruit them into their cause. At least that’s all the thugs that I got my hands on could tell me. But there had been way too many villains present to just be a recruitment location.” They reached a split path as they neared a boarded up window at the end of the hallway. “It’s possible that experiments were conducted here as well.”

****

“Experiments?” They began down the left hallway when a quite _Beep_ sounded. They both moved to face the wall that had swung opened beside them, Ursula moving into an offensive stance as Badcock launched two of the small orbs that she had been holding at the floor in front of the wall. The solid spherical shape of the orbs distorted as they left her hand and as they hit the ground, both of them splashed up, covering the entire passage that had been opened up before hardening into a thick, metallic wall. The second after the wall form, loud explosion could be heard coming from the other side. “What kind of experiments?”

****

“Quirk experiments.” Ursula practically spat the words out. She was still sore from the incident ten years ago… And she could only pray that Croix wasn’t trying to replicate her experiments from back then… But that’s why she was here. To find out. 

****

“I see.” Was Badcock's only response as they continued their slow, tense trek through the building. Ursula doubted she actually understood what ‘quirk experiments’ meant, but had probably decided not to dig deeper after hearing Ursula’s venomous tone. It hadn't been on purpose, she would have to try an contain herself for the rest of this mission, but it seems it would work to her advantage.

****

They remained in relative silence for a while. Only talking when they needed to call out a booby trap or decide on a direction at a split path. The atmosphere was perpetually tense as they moved down the building, completely searching each floor. They had entered from a window on the top floor as Ursula had noticed that the bottom floors were more active during her reconnaissance, and entering from the top served as a better strategy for avoiding detection. As they got onto lower floors, the whole building’s aesthetic seemed to change.

****

The top floors had been standard, with the only changes being the booby traps and an occasional graffitied wall. Usually including imagery of a bomb, speaker, or a camera. But as they moved lower everything slowly changed. The wood walls became metal, the graffiti over doubled and started including images of doors, chains, and speakers in some rooms. The lights got brighter and blood stains began showing up on the walls and floors. And the number of traps increased exponentially. 

****

By the time they had gotten to the bottom floor they were dodging electricity, exploding drones -the older models of the ones that Croix had designed that looked like bulky, flying cylinders-, guns, and even pit traps with spikes and everything. But suspiciously all of that ceased on the bottom floor. They had slowly caused almost the entire bottom floor without running into a single trap. It was honestly more unnerving then when they had to dodge traps every five steps… 

****

“I don’t like this… It’s too quiet. And only on this floor.”

****

“You’re right. The last floor had us practically tossing stones to disarm traps, and all of a sudden there’s nothing on this floor at all. And on top of that these tasteless graffiti ‘tags’ are absolutely covering the place!” As relaxing as it was to know that Badcock was uneasy about this as well. Ursula couldn’t quell the sinking feeling in her stomach that they were walking right into a trap. “Oh well. We haven’t found anything in this entire place, other than graffiti, blood stains, and these forsaken traps.”

****

“You’re right… It’s almost as if they cleaned up anything they didn’t want us to see…”

****

“Then there’s no reason to continue. If they got rid of any evidence than we’re just risking our lives for nothing.” Badcock shook her head angrily as she approached the far wall, had raised and probably planning to use her quirk. “Let’s just be done with this place! It’s only been a huge waste of time.”

****

But before she could reach the wall, Ursula continued forward. The loud crash of her kicking open a metal door at the end of the hallway drawing Badcock’s attention. “You can go ahead and leave if you wish. But I know the person behind this, and she wouldn’t have wasted the resources for traps she knew couldn’t kill me. If she left anything behind then it’s because she wants to lead me somewhere.” Ursula continued her march forward, forgoing all stealth in certainty that there would be no more traps.

****

Badcock seemed to hesitate a moment before reluctantly following. She ran to catch up to Ursula, but kept her walk just a few strides behind the taller woman.

****

Silence once again filled the hallway as they continued forward. The only sounds present were those of their combined steps, the clacking of Ursula’s heals and Badcocks boots echoing off the walls and surrounding them. It seemed to smother them as the tension once again rose, but this time for a different reason. They were ignoring any and all rooms now, and it was clear that Badcock had no idea why. But the answer was simple, Ursula now knew what she was looking for. She only scanned each door briefly as she looked for the one thing she knew Criox would leave to guide her.

****

They continued like this for only a handful of minutes longer, the tension steadily growing in the air before Ursula suddenly came to an abrupt stop. So abrupt that if Badcock hadn’t been keeping her distance then she would have run right into her. “What’s wrong?...”

****

“This is it…” Ursula’s response was short and simple as she stared at the unique door. Unlike all the other rooms the door to this one was pure white and smooth metal, with a four pointed star painted on the front.

****

“This is what?” Badcock seemed to grow more tense by the moment. And rightfully so, Ursula had offered her no reasons to justify her actions, no incentive to trust that she knew what she was doing. But she hadn’t asked many questions up to this point, and Ursula wasn’t going to answer any that she didn’t have to. So instead she moved towards the door, pointedly ignoring the questions aimed at her.

****

But before she could get more than a few feet from the door, one of Badcock’s orbs hit her foot, hardening around her leg and trapping the appendage to the floor. “That’s far enough. I’ve tried to stay out of your business but I need information if we’re going anywhere near that door.” It was easy to tell that she was serious, the way she positioned her body in a ready stance and held three more of her orbs, ready to throw. It’s unlikely that she could beat Ursula, sure she was strong, but Ursula’s quirk was perfectly suited to fight her’s. And while the closed environment would play to Badcock’s advantage, it wouldn’t be enough to win if Ursula made sure to get close enough.

****

That being said, Ursula wasn’t keen on fighting unnecessarily, and she was prepared to give up at least a little information if it let her continue her search. “What do you want to know?”

****

Badcock didn’t relax at Ursula’s offer of information. In fact she held her stance tighter and brought her orbs up to her face. Probably in an attempt to intimidate. “Who is ‘she’ and what is your connection to this... group?”

****

While not something that she was too keen on answering in full, a half answer would probably be enough for now. Sucking in a deep breath, Ursula prepared her response in her head, making sure that her answer was enough to quell Badcock’s anger without giving away too much. In the end her answer was simple and short. “‘She’ was my partner. We split ways a while back and she took a more… aggressive stance on heroes and villains.”

****

Like she had planned, the answer was short, simple, didn’t give away too much personal information, but seemed to quell Badcock’s suspicions just enough. Her stance relaxed as she lowered the orbs back down. Though, to Ursula's dismay, it seemed her questioning wasn't quite over yet. “And how do you know that this door is what you're looking for?”

****

“The symbol is important to both of us.”

****

“I see…” Badcock seemed to debate something with herself before opening her mouth to continue her questioning. But she never got the chance as Ursula interrupted her before she began.

****

“I’m sorry but I won’t answer anything else.”

****

“And why’s that?...” Badcock had a look somewhere between incredulous and completely enraged. A decade ago, she would have laughed at the expression. But now she wasn’t as bold. 

****

“I’m entitled to my privacy. And besides, I’d like to keep certain things in the past.” Ursula meet Badcock's intense gaze with her own. It was almost hard to not look away. Ursula was younger and had the advantage over her when it came to their quirks, but she was more experienced and commanded a demeanor that demanded the respect owed to one of her age and renown. Ursula was confident that she could beat her in a fight if necessary, but that’s what she was looking to avoid if at all possible. She had learned a long time ago that just because you could punch your way out of any situation, didn’t mean you should. 

****

After what felt like an eternity, Badcock’s expression softened as she let out an exasperated sigh. “All right then. If you’re so adamant about not saying anything then I won't push. But you’re going in there first! I’ll leave the possible traps to you.”

****

“Thank you Phase… It means a lot…” Ursula let out her own internal sigh as Badcock approached. To say that being able to continue so easily was a relief would be an understatement. It was unlikely that Badcock trusted her but most heroes had some baggage in their past, especially the older ones. So probably knew better than to try and force sensitive information out of a fellow hero. 

****

“Yes, yes. It’s all well and good but we still have a mystery room with no data to prepare for what’s inside… Now let me free your leg so that we can continue.” She approached Ursula, intent on removing the metal cocoon from her leg. Ursula held still as she Liquified the metal -she could have just pried it off herself but that would have been a waste of energy. 

****

“Thank you.” Ursula stretched the leg as it was free from its casing. Moving it back and forth as she made sure none of the metal remained. Once she was satisfied that she that none of the offending material remains, she stepped towards the door. Keeping her movements slow and careful as she approached. She wasn't expecting a surprise attack or even any more traps really. But she moved slow because she dreaded what lied on the other side of that door. To know what Croix had gone through so much trouble to show her.

****

She had expected to have to pry the doors open, as there had been no keypad or visible handle to use to open it. But she was surprised when the door simply slid open upon her approach. Revealing a medical laboratory inside. She would say that it's probably because Croix had been expecting her, but there really wasn't any question about whether or not Croix wanted her to see what was behind this door. The answer was painfully obvious. And the implications behind it made Ursula's hear race and her stomach sink. Croix had been leaving clues for her ever since she had made her involvement know six years ago. At first Ursula refused to believe that it was her. She didn't want to think what her old partner could be involved in, much less what she could have accomplished in terms of her research over the past twelve years now -since there was no way she hadn't been continuing her research since shortly after the incident. But more than anything, was that despite all of Croix's clues, she had never left anything significant behind for her to find. Never left something so obviously meant for her. The implications of all of it... was unnerving...

****

And suddenly, the sinking feeling in her stomach blasted into an all out pit of despair. But it wasn’t alone, as she wretched and rushed to cover her face with the filter mask included in the belt of her costume. Badcock made a similar move with the mask that had been hanging around her neck this whole time. Shouting as she fought her way through a coughing fit. “BY THE NINE WHAT IS THAT HORRIBLE STENCH!”

****

Even with the filtered mask on, Ursula had to fight her through her own choking and near-vomiting at the abysmal stench that had permeated the air as the door slid open. It filled the air around them as it rushed out of the enclosed space like a tidal wave of death. “The failed experiments…” The miasma of blood and defiled remains surrounded them, strangling the life out of them as they choked in an attempt to regain their regular breathing.

****

After spending a substantially long time to regain a pace of breathing sufficient enough to move comfortably, they proceed into the room. Taking each step slowly and carefully, more so from the physical fatigue that the sudden assault on their senses had left them in rather than any actual fear of a trap. “What in the… W-what is this… this atrocity.” Badcock went pale as she took in the appearance of the laboratory. All of the color draining from his skin as she scanned the room around them.

****

It was covered from top to bottom in so much blood and viscera that the remains no longer seemed to decay as a mist of vaporized entrails hung in the air. The laboratory was much larger than any of the other rooms in the building and housed six examination tables within, each with a tray covered in surgical tools and other machinery on top. On each table laid a different body. Moving from left to right the bodies seemed to go from being an extremely familiar form of grotesque and twisted to a form to the one on the far right that resembled a normal person, each one in between seeming to be a step in the transformation. The four to the left were cut open and pinned like a cadaver in a post mortem examination. Along with the bodies, tables, and trays the room was filled with an assortment of machines, all varying in size, shape and purpose, as well as a large quantity of vials and chemistry equipment laying on the counters at either side of the room. And one of those graffiti tags on the wall over the middle two examination tables, composed of illustrations of a large speaker, a comically outdated camera on top, and both sitting on top of a stack of tnt. It was truly the epitome of an evil lab -excluding the graffiti tag, because it was more funny than anything else-, if Ursula had ever seen one. And she could honestly say that she wished she had never seen this.

****

“It’s what she wanted me to find…” Ursula approached the tables as she took in as much detail as she could. The first one was an extremely familiar sight, almost an exact recreation of the monsters that she had fought back during the crisis twelve years ago. It’s twisted and mangled form doing nothing to cool the boiling of her blood that seemed to grow with every similarity that she glimpsed between this _thing_ and the creatures she had exterminated all those years ago. Or quite the pounding of her heart in her ears that seemed to drown out all other noises, leaving her in a world of her own fears as she moved down the line of bodies. 

****

The next one was similar, still twisted and mangled, but less so than the first. It still showed similarities but it’s proportion were more natural than the mismatched patchwork of limbs that was the first creature. Though one would still be hard pressed to call it human. The third was the first that could be considered to have accurate proportions. It’s limbs were all matching and it’s body was almost symmetrical barring some of the more twisted and deformed qualities that carried over from the first still. Qualities that were completely absent in the fourth monster. It had no deformities and a completely clean, symmetrical body aside from the still unnervingly pale skin and more mismatched limbs that it sported. 

****

The last two were almost completely human. They had no discoloration, no unproportionate limbs, no deformities, and no visible aspects that would distinguish them from a regular human with a normal quirk. The only thing off with either of them was a few select abnormalities that weren’t present in each other or any of the others. The fifth one’s entire body was covered in lesions, and not just any regular lesions that one would gain from a fight or a battle of any sort. It looked as if the body’s muscles and skin had burst open. As if there had been a great pressure built up inside that exploded outwards after growing to great for the creature to handle. 

****

But the last one was by far the strangest. It looked just like a regular person with a mutation quirk that gave him a reptilian tail and some sort of volcano-esqu protrusions on his shoulders. The lesions from the previous body were missing, but instead this one was covered in tattoos. And not regular tattoos; the lines were all red and both the lines and coloring were faded in blotchy patterns and running in places. Like the ink had seeped straight out of their skin. In fact that might have just been what had happened as the table the body was laid on had been dyed with puddles of color in an outline around the body.

****

“What is it?” Badcock approached the line of tables cautiously, almost as if the bodies would jump up and attack them.

****

“It’s a timeline… She’s letting me see how far her research has come. How close she is to being finished.” Ursula approached the graffiti tag on the wall, needing to look at anything other than those bodies. Believe it or not, this trip had shown her something to hope for. The fact that her creatures had advanced so much likely meant that she wasn’t using the dream spirit anymore. At least… she could hope so… 

****

“Finished with what?” 

****

But before Ursula could answer, the graffiti tag suddenly lit up, blaring brightly for a moment before the light died down. And a voice filled their ears. A distorted voice that Ursula wouldn’t have recognized if it wasn’t for the distinct lilt that had grown so familiar to her. And suddenly her world slowed down. To hear that voice after so long... And to know that the owner was responsible for all of  _this_... She couldn't quite believe it. Or rather, she chose not to. But she couldn't deny it any more.

****

**_“I APOLOGIZE BUT I CAN’T HAVE YOU SPILLING THAT INFORMATION JUST YET, MY SHINING STAR.”_ **The voice reverberated off of every wall and echoed throughout the entire structure as it spoke. Surrounding them in the distorted sound the emanated from the graffiti.

****

“Who are y-” Badcock attempted to call out but was cut off as the voice began speaking again.

****

**_“THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL YOURSELF NOW A DAYS, ISN’T IT?... NO… THAT’S NOT RIGHT. IT’S… ‘STAR LIGHT’, CORECT? SUCH A SHAME; YOUR OLD NAME WAS SO MUCH BETTER, NOT TO MENTION THAT DRAB COSTUME YOU’RE WEARING NOW. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THAT STYLE YOU USED TO HAVE?_ **

****

“How are you doing this C-”

****

**_“YOU MAY CALL ME ‘NOIR’. IF YOU’RE GOING BY A NEW NAME, THEN IT’S ONLY FAIR THAT I GET ONE AS WELL. DON’T YOU THINK SO,_ ** **_CUORE MIO?”_ **

****

And with only one phrase Ursula felt her heart twisted and her throat filled with bile. And so she did the only thing she could think of. She yelled. She screamed. And she shouted as loud as she could. “YOU DON’T GET TO CALL ME THAT! Not after what you did!” It wasn't fair! she couldn't do what she had done, leave for as long as she had, and then suddenly reappear as the villain and still hope to call her that! Still hope to have what hey had been to each other back then.

****

**_“BUT I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO ACTIVATED THE MACHINE. I SIMPLY GAVE A YOU WAY TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS.”_ **

****

Ursula clenched her fist and ground her teeth together as she stood there and listened. Not because what Croix was saying was wrong, but because it was true… But Ursula’s silence only gave Croix the que to continue.

****

**_“AND WHEN YOU HAD YOUR DREAM SO CLOSE IN YOUR HAND, YOU THREW IT ALL AWAY…”_ **

****

“It wasn’t right! I couldn’t do that to all those people!” Ursula shouted and screamed her responses. Raising her voice more than she had in years, to the point where she knew her throat would be sore in the morning.

****

**_“AND YET ALL THOSE PEOPLE STILL ENDED UP DEAD, DIDN’T THEY? I’M SORRY CUORE MIO, BUT YOUR CONVICTION JUST ISN’T STRONG ENOUGH. NOT FOR THIS.”_ **

****

“Now listen here!” It seems that Badcock had had enough of being left out of the conversation as she joined the screaming match. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I do know that you’ve been up to some horrible things! And I won’t let you get away with them!”

****

But her declaration went unheeded as Croix ignored her. **_“BUT DO NOT FEAR, I WILL MAKE YOUR DREAM A REALITY. I SHALL_ ** **MAKE** **_WHAT YOU COULD NEVER ACHIEVE. SO JUST SIT BACK AND WATCH MY, CUORE MIO. FOR I WON’T DISAPPOINT YOU. NOT AGAIN...”_ **

****

And Ursula felt her heart sink once again, for what must have been the hundredth time that day alone. The tenderness present despite the distortion of her voice... the way the her remorse could be felt palpably through what ever form of communication she was using to talk to them... There was no mistake in saying that she still obviously cared, and it hurt to know that even despite all that caring, she could still be capable of all of this. But Ursula didn't have any more time to dwell on it, as the whole building suddenly lit up with an ethereal light. The most present one originating from the pile of tnt in the graffiti tag on the wall. **_“I’M SORRY BUT IT SEEMS THAT I MUST END OUR CONVERSATION HERE! IT HAS BEEN LOVELY TALKING TO YOU AGAIN, BUT I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT YOU’LL SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR US TO SPEAK AGAIN.”_ **

****

“And just like that, the voice was gone. The speaker and camera in the graffiti had faded to resemble the blotches of faded ink on the last cadaver’s body. But the tnt still shone brightly. In fact, it was getting brighter by the minute. Ursula could only assume the same thing was happening to all the other bombs and explosives in the tags throughout the building. And there was really only one possible thing that this could mean, at least in the hero line of work.

****

So without a minute to spare, Ursula turned towards Badcock and they both shared a knowing look as she produced several thick spheres from her pouches. These were a dark, metallic black instead of the dull silver that her other spheres were colored. The two stood close as she raised the orbs in the air and turned to Ursula. “Jump on my signal!” 

****

“Roger that!” 

****

“NOW!” Badcock suddenly shouted as she slammed the orbs down onto the ground, both her and Ursula jumping as the liquid metal splashed underneath them. “SPECIAL MOVE; BLACK PEARL, SIX LAYERS TUNGSTEN.” Suddenly the path of the liquid changed as it shot up and around them, solidify into near perfect sphere around them. 

****

Mere seconds after the sphere formed around them, the entire building exploded into a giant plum of color filled fire and smoke. Leaving nothing but the debris from the upper half of the building -where there had been almost no explosive tags to blow up- to rain down on the black sphere below. Burying it under half a building.

 

* * *

****

**Luna Nova Personality Profiles: Ursula Callistis**

****

**Age: 30 -but insist that she’s younger-**

****

**Nationality: French**

****

**Height: 5’7”**

****

**Weight: 61kg**

****

**Hair color: Blue**

****

**Eye color: Red**

****

**Hero Name: The Fading Embers Hero: Star Light**

****

**Costume: Commission by Holbrooke, Ursula's costume was designed by one of Britain's largest hero companies, London Hero’s. It was designed with a two tone maroon and plum color palette. It’s general composition consists of form fitting tactical pants, knee high tactical boots, a skin tight under shirt with medium length sleeves that ends halfway down her arms, a corset vest over top, and a utility belt. The costume also includes a plain white, contoured, ballistic mask that has been decorated with a smiling face but Ursula’s doesn’t often wear it. The utility belt contains a number of useful supplies including a first aid kit, 50 meters of capture tape, filtration masks, and a flashlight. The fabric of the costume is a special material made to have a tensile strength as strong as Kevlar, as well as fireproof.**

****

**Quirk - Unknown**

****

**Effects: Specific information about her quirk is unknown, but it has been observed to increase her physical attributes tremendously as well as cause an intense radiant light to arc off of her body. Other than this nothing else is known definitively.**

****

**Relationships:**

****

**Atsuko Kagari - Protégé**

****

**Sumi Pisces - Friends/Colleagues**

****

**Samantha Badcock - Acquaintances/Colleagues**

****

**Companions:**

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**Arcas - polar bear**

****

**Quirk: Guardian**

****

**Has the power to increase his size and strength up to five times the normal when It’s master or the object it’s guarding is endangered. Has a golden lily emblem on his forehead.**

****

**Alcor - crow**

****

**Quirk: Growth**

****

**Can change it’s size from that of it’s normal state, slightly larger than a normal crow, to  seven feet tall. His quirk gives its feathers a grey and white color that glows pure white when changing sizes. A golden Star pattern sits in the middle of his chest.**

****

**Likes: Chamomile tea, any form of physical exercise, bad rom-coms, JRPGs, Comic books, and the beach.**

****

**Dislikes: Coffee, Cursing, good rom-coms, and flying.**

****

**Background: No Information Known.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Professor Pisces is described as a goldfish on the fan wiki, and since goldfish are Asian in origin I decided to make her Japanese. Because why not? It's my fic and I can do what I please.
> 
> The character profile I put at the end is a little preview of what everyone else's will be like. I kept Ursula's height the same as in cannon but she was a bit light for someone as strong as she is in this fic, so I upped her weight a bit. I also didn't add the details of Ursula's quirk because that's important spoiler territory for the later chapters. But I promise that she'll be the only character I do this for... maybe... Also, more information on the "Companions" will come in later chapters, so don't worry about that.
> 
> The world record for holding your breath is 22 minutes.
> 
> I wanted to experiment with some better ways of conveying Diana's more mischievous qualities (they're much more subdued and relegated towards a few individuals in comparison to her need to uphold the image of her name and family but they're still there) when writing from her perspective. I don't know how I like it but writing it was interesting. 
> 
> Tell me what you think! I want to know every and anything I could have done better, so don't be afraid to be brutally honest with me! And your comments and support encourage me to make these chapters faster! Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful day!


	7. Red Vs. Blue!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of hero training begins, and Akko finds herself pitted against the Blue team. How will they fair against the number one student and her two hench-women. Read to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! How are you all enjoying Diakko week? I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I am. Now I had actually planned for this chapter to come out on day two, as my submission for the rivalry/challenge prompt. But... Yeah, life. But to make up for it this chapter is the longest one by far! (And it was total always supposed to be, I definitely didn't originally plan for it to be a simple, short chapter only for it to spiral out of control in the midst of my sleep deprivation. That would be crazy, why would you think that!)
> 
> Heh... So, yeah. It was definitely always meant to be this long. 
> 
> Anyways, I had a few things I wish to address before the chapter begins. The first of which, is that I don't really like the way I wrote Barbara last chapter. The way I presented her made it seem like she was afraid of Hannah, which isn't the case at all. So if she's suddenly a lot stronger willed then that's why.
> 
> Second is that I am officially out of Anonymous. You should be able to see my name at the top right there. If I mess it up some how then, I'm not sorry. I'll fix it eventually so just relax for a bit. I think I had more to say, but I can't remember... So yeah. 
> 
> And a big thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter! Of the day of posting this chapter that includes; p4ntry-d3m0n, WildDonutHeart, TheGayWorm26, Globus, BSoulstone, SulliMike23, vickycaro42, RaZGriZx86, Mullenkamp, trollbean5, and jayilyse!  
> Thank you, to all my lovely readers that take the time to leave a comment! Every time I see one it inspires me to write longer and more often, so if you feel like it just drop down below and leave one. 
> 
> I believe that's all I had to say for this chapter (that I can remember). So please enjoy the chapter, and sorry for the wait for this one. As an apology I shall gift you some Diakko goodness.
> 
> UPDATE: do to being sleep deprived when I posted this I forgot the character profile at the end. So I shall add it retroactively. Thank you for you patients.

**Chapter 6: All Heroes Stumble.**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

****

Philosophy class, surprisingly, turned out to be one of Akko’s favorite classes on her schedule. At least so far it was. She had no metric for how much fun it might be in the future, but if today was any indicator then she couldn’t wait for the rest of the year! Usually Akko wasn’t one for theorizing and postulating -who even used that word anymore, It sounds like a Swedish indie band… not that she would listen to that type of music… don’t judge her diverse musical pallet, she’s an enthusiast-  about the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when most people who actually _did_ do that kind of stuff would spout out nonsense about living an altruistic life and then promptly try to bury her under a mock training building. By the nines did she hated Itsushio, but that only made it soooooo much more satisfying when she placed higher than him in their end of year ranking. Suck it horn head, hope you enjoy a life having trouble walking through doors and being called the _“horny hero”_. Akko, admittedly, still didn’t understand what that was supposed to mean but he would always get exceptionally angry when anyone would call him that. It was funny, ten out of ten would laugh again.

****

What was she thinking about again?... Oh yeah, philosophy! If Akko was being honest, and she usually was -it was much better than facing the wrath of Okasan’s favorite punishment; hours of modification log paperwork, **oh nines the paper cuts-** the main reason class had been so fun was in large part due to the company. She had gotten to spend the whole class discussing relevant philosophy with Diana, and not only had the conversation been engaging but they had reconciled before the class even began! That’s a two for one baby! 

****

Akko had also gotten to know Diana much better than her original impression of ‘spoiled rich bigot who probably wants to kill me’, so that was a plus. She actually turned out to be very friendly and… warm? That’s a descriptive word that works for a person’s personality, right? Either way her generally disposition was very kind and she was constantly smiling, so Akko couldn’t really think of a better descriptive word the ‘warm’. There was this one moment, after she apologized, that confused Akko though… She had gotten rather… familiar, for just a few seconds. Akko could still feel the ghosting touch of her fingertips as she had withdrawn her hand. Weren’t Europeans supposed to be _more_ reserved about skin ship? At least that’s what she had been told. Don’t get Akko wrong, she didn’t have any problems with it, back when she had lived in Japan, she and her friends -back when she actually had friends that is- used to hug and hang off of each other constantly. It was normal for where she grew up, even boys were constantly jumping all over each other and rough housing. It’s just how things were, Akko would argue that she invade people’s personal space more than anyone else. But since she’s been alone… well, she doesn’t even get that familiar with Akira or Jin anymore. It’s just what she had come to expect.

****

Akko was broken from her line of thought by someone coughing loudly from the work bench behind her. Noticing that she had drifted off touching her jaw, coincidently where Diana had placed her hand, she quickly made sure that no one had noticed. Once she was satisfied that she hadn’t been caught off her tracks in the middle of her support equipment development and maintenance class -it’s not like she had been using any power tools, you only really make that mistake once- she began absentmindedly preparing a blueprint sheet for her project. But as she worked, she found her thoughts drifting back to Diana… They weren’t about anything in particular. Just her… 

****

But her concentration was broken once again by another, much more insistent cough from right behind her. Man some one must be real sick. Maybe they should get some water or something. Now, what was she gonna do for her first quarter project? She couldn’t use her SQ Rig, that would require divulging her blueprints to the United Kingdom's government and since they were technically a Japanese government funded project… well let’s just say that a jail cell for the next ten years didn’t sound that appealing. So she should probably hold off on that until the Rig was officially transferred to private ownership under herself, which would be later this year. But that still didn’t mean she was keen on giving away all her hard work. She had spent months formulating the nerve interface alone! That’s not something you just turn in for a school assignment!... At least not until it’s time for your thesis project… Don’t judge her.

****

Once again she was brought out of her mind zone -which is what she called the place of mind when she started working and got lost in her thoughts- by yet another, much louder, cough that was accompanied by a persistent tug at the waist of her jumpsuit -the standard clothing that they made you wear in the shop. She turned to find the source of the tugging and was met with the rather annoyed expression of a very short girl who had a tube slung over her back and a large bag hanging from her shoulder, that Akko could only assume carried drafting tools and utensils… Oooohh… the cough had been to get her attention… She probably should have figured that out sooner. 

****

She was, once again, pulled out of the confines of her own head by the girl waving her hands around in front of Akko. At first she didn’t recognize the movements but after a moment she realized that the girl was attempting to sign to her using the German variant of sign language. _“Are you listening?”_

****

It took Akko a moment to translate the message, and remember the specifics of german sign language -it’s not like she really had much reason to use it often. But she replied as soon as she understood, using both her voice and sign language to make sure the girl understood. “Yep, I’m listening! Did you need something?”

****

The girl had began writing on a white board she was carrying around after Akko had hesitated to reply, probably guessing that Akko couldn’t understand her and taking it as a sign to use an alternate method of communication, so when Akko _did_ finally respond her head jerked up with a look of surprise. But Akko simply sat facing her with her hands on her knees, waiting for the girl to speak -well, sign. Which she did after taking a second to erase whatever she had written on the white board. _“I want to sit next to you.”_

****

Huh, very forward. Akko could respect that. “Sure thing, go right ahead!”

****

The small girl clambered up onto the bench next to her, setting the bag on the bench along with her, and slinging the tub off of her shoulder and onto the table in front of her. Akko watched with interest, it was honestly a bit adorable. The girl choose to stand on the bench as opposed to sitting, probably so she could actually reach the top of the table, and worked near silently as she removed a set of blueprints from the tube she had slung over her shoulder. Akko only spent a moment more watching before she turned back to her work, she did have a project to plan after all. She inserted a headphone into her right ear, she only really need one in for the sound to blend into the background, and pressed play on her ‘plan a project without getting distracted every couple of seconds’ playlist. One of her more frequented playlists if she was being honest.

****

Okay, okay. First project. It has to be something good, but she would be stupid to choose something that would take all of her time making and testing. Maybe she should take a look at some of her old stuff from back when she started with Okasan’s company. She could take one of her old ideas that she could never get to work, most of them had been admittedly ridiculous back when she started, and update or change them enough to get them functioning… That might actually be a half decent idea. Hah, suck it perceptualized stereotype of a creator who has no idea what they’re going to work on! Point one: Akko. 

****

Once she had decided on her course of action, relatively quickly if she might add, she fished her phone from her pocket -at home she would lay it on the table but she got so caught up in her work that she wouldn’t notice if someone just walked by and took it here. She swiftly unlocked it before navigating to her project files, putting in another password because some of those files were important, and began scrolling through them to see if she could find something that may be fun to try again. She had only been scrolling for a couple minutes, barring the time that would pass each time she would pause whenever she saw something that reminded her of something funny that happened while she had tried to build said project the first time, before finding something perfect. Once she had picked out a project -it wasn’t anything grand or ground breaking, just a set of magnetic booster engines that she had planned on adding to ark but promptly gave up on when they exploded for the twentieth time- she set to work drafting new blueprints. 

****

While halfway through drawing the first sectional diagram, she liked to make as many as possible because her head doesn’t seem to understand concepts unless she sees them from every possible angle, she was pulled from her thoughts by an extremely annoyed grunt from right next to her. It was coming from that same girl as earlier, as Akko could tell by the familiar pitch and direction of the sound. When Akko looked to see what had the girl in such a tizzy -hah, that’s a fun word- she was met with the sight of the very small girl very angerly pouring herself over a very large blueprint and frantically erasing and redrawing something towards the top. She seemed to be having trouble figuring something out, and that's understandable. Especially with the fact that it only took a single glance at her work to know that it was _far_ superior mechanically wise to Akko’s current project. 

****

Akko couldn’t know all the specifics unless she took a look at the entirety of the blueprints, but with a quick glance she could already see a few innovative steps that she never would have even considered. It was some sort of compact cyclic conversion battery -meaning that the energy it supplied was constantly reconverting itself, imagine a battery that recharges itself while it was being used. It wasn’t a _new_ concept per say, the idea and base principles of this device had been developed back during the war as a way to reduce costs on running those big, fancy pure electric tanks that Germany had been so proud of -at least until Japan had come out with comparable versions the following year. But the most impressive part of her design was the size. These batteries were usually the size of a coffin and weighed over three hundred pounds, it’s the only way that they could be made to recharge fast enough to replace the energy that was used, and thus were usually only implemented in larger equipment and powerplants. 

****

But this girl’s was the size of a small phone, if she could make one that size with a reasonable output and recovery charge, well… Akko didn’t really know what would happen. It’s the kind of break through that would be used in any and everything once it was perfected, an environmentally friendly, self charging battery that could theoretically be put into anything was something that people had been after for generations. But at the same time, it wasn’t likely to change the world. It would be used worldwide and in almost everything but it’s not likely that downsizing the batter would lead to anything beyond that, scientists would probably move to attempting to increase its output to it’s maximum but until then it wouldn’t have much effect on anything other than quality of life, a few small military projects, and the hero support equipment industry. 

****

That being said, these stipulations were only actually accurate if she could get the thing to work. There was a reason that these things had to be so big, and while Akko might not know all the specifics, she knew that to miniaturize it would require changing almost the entire mechanical design while keeping the same chemical compounds. Of course that was what seemed to be the girls current problem. Akko moved to stand behind the girl while she worked, it seemed that she was so caught up in working that she didn’t notice that Akko right behind her, and was looking over the blueprints. It was obvious that the girl was having issues with the conversion pulling in more electrons from one of the chemical compounds used, argon if Akko was correct, then the others, leaving the battery unable to maintain the equilibrium necessary to maintain a perpetual charge. That being said, it was a problem that Akko just so happened to might, just maybe, have a solution to.

****

Taking her seat back on the bench, Akko pulled out a few slips of tracing paper and began sketching out a few quick diagrams, taking a look every so often at the girls blueprints so that she was sure she was getting all the specific parts she needed correct, and notes alongside them. After checking her own calculations and double checking if equilibrium could be maintained with these modifications in theory, because it was impossible to know without practical tests, she tapped on the girl’s shoulder to get her attention. She would have used her name but she didn’t know it… She should probably ask.

****

The girl turned towards her with a less than amused look, not needing to sign as her expression clearly expressed the message ‘what the hell do you want, I’m busy’.  It was almost impressive actually. But Akko just smiled and offered the diagrams she had drawn up, “I noticed you were having some trouble and though I might be able to help.” The girl eyed the papers in Akko’s hand but didn’t take them as she flicked her gaze back to Akko. Taking it as a sign that she didn’t trust Akko to help, which was understandable, Akko started to elaborate some more. "Your having trouble keeping compound equilibrium right?”

****

The girl hesitated a moment, flicking her worried gaze between her own work, the papers in Akko’s hands, and then Akko herself. The whole while Akko waited with a smile on her face, it didn’t really bother her if the girl ended up refusing her offer, it’s not like Akko would accept help that easily either. But the girl’s cautious expression soon crumbled as she let out a small sigh and  took the papers. She looked them over for a few seconds before placing them down and sign to Akko, _“What is this?”_

****

“It’s a ‘synthetic permeable cell membrane’. We use them at my Okasan’s company all the time.” Akko scooted closer as she began pointing out different notes on the diagrams she had drawn. “Usually we use them to restrict how much of certain substances enters an open system, preventing anything that could harm the device from entering. But if you were to insulate them, modify the entrance size on each and install them at the ends of the exchange valves on the transfer cavity, then you could regulate the mixture and electron transfer much more precisely. You may even be able to forgo this salt bridge you have here entirely. You would have to re-measure your quantities but that would be easier than restarting everything from scratch, right?”

****

The girl stared at the diagram for just a moment before she suddenly pulled a fresh stack of drafting paper from her bag and went to work on modify Akko’s design to fit with her device. Akko smiled and was about to turn back to her own work when the girl stopped her. _“Did you need any help?”_

****

Akko was a bit taken aback at first but quickly recovered, she was trying to get better at responding _when_ she was asked something and not ten minutes afterwards, “No, no. Don’t worry about me. I still have to get my basic diagram drawn all the way out before I can even consider changing anything.”

****

The girl looked at Akko, seemingly reluctant to let her debt go unpaid. Akko really didn’t have anything against the girl helping, she just… didn’t have anything that she needed help on right now. Like she said earlier, her project was extremely simple compared to the girl’s. There was really no reason to bother her for anything. That being said, the girl’s annoyed pout was kind of making Akko feel bad that she couldn’t let her help. So instead she asked the girl a different question, “What’s your name by the way?”

****

The girl looked at her in surprise before answering. _“Constanze.”_

****

Akko smiled broadly as she held out her hand for Constanze to shake, “My name is Kagari, Atsuko. But you can just call me Akko. Much easier to say then Atsuko right?” Constanze then shook her hand before writing something down on the white board and turning it towards Akko. As it turns out, Akko’s name is not, she repeats, is _not_ the most complicated name in the school. Akko let out a quiet “Ah, I see…” before thinking to herself, tryin to figure out if half of those were even actual names!? Why would anyone need a name that complicated!? Maybe she was a secret agent, or a mutant cyber dragon hell bent on world domination… Yeah, probably not, now that she thinks about it. But she’ll be checking for dragon wings every time she sees the girl from now on, can’t be too careful with cyber dragons. She quickly slipped her smile back into place as she again addressed the girl “Well it’s wonderful to meet you Constanze!”

****

Constanze gave her a small thumbs up and went back to her project. Constanze, huh… Akko couldn’t help but feel like she had read that somewhere before… Oh! She was in Akko’s hero course! She was ranked in tenth place if Akko remembered correctly. Two places under Akko herself. And speaking of the hero course, Akko glanced up at the clock to realize that there were only seven minutes left in this class. Not only that but after this they had their first hero lesson of the year -it was supposed to be tomorrow originally but an alert had been sent out from the school last night that they would be moving it up even sooner for every class in the hero course. Apparently it had something to do with the ever increasing villain activity. Akko wasn’t entirely sure about the details but she could always ask Ursula when she got back from whatever business she was taking care of. What was she doing anyways? 

****

Akko knew that Ursula had been a hero back in the day and had even attended Luna Nova for her hero education, but Ursula didn’t seem to still be active. It wasn’t uncommon for the teachers at Luna Nova to still be in active hero duty, it’s just that Ursula didn’t even have any connects with companies here that she could use. She had always said that she never planned on leaving Japan again. Why was that anyways? She had always seemed so… sure, that she wouldn’t leave Japan. Yet here she is…

****

Akko finished gathering her stuff up just as the teacher released them for hero lessons. She would have to store this stuff in her storage unit -the school gave each student a storage unit, it was basically a giant locker with a truck load of security so they could keep anything they need in a safe place- and grab the case for her hero costume. After that they were supposed to meet at battle city Five. 

****

Akko unlocked her storage unit -maybe she should just call it a locker, that’s all it really is and it’s much shorter- humming a slightly dreary tone, as opposed to the hyper, upbeat ones she usually used to remember her passwords. Sliding inside the giant door, she located the nearest shelve that could hold all of her drafting tools and her papers at the same time. It would have to be one where the tubs holding her paper wouldn’t roll… maybe she should get a basket or one of those umbrella holders to store these in, that would be easier than checking each shelf one after the other, right? She ended up using the bottom shelf, as it had a slight upwards tilt to it and kept the paper tubes still. Once she was satisfied that they were situated safe and none were going to move or roll -she totally didn’t spend an entire minute pretending to walk away and then turn back quickly to see if they were just waiting for her to turn around before falling, where would you ever get that idea… _But_ if she had, and this is totally proposition, if she had done such then it would be totally justified. The last thing anyone needed was a repeat of the ‘lobster claws incident’… 

****

That being said, she currently had about twenty minutes left to get over to the locker room, as very helpfully pointed out by the mildly annoyed chibi Ursula on her phone. She took one last glance at the tubes before grabbing the hefty case that housed her costume from its place in the helpfully provided safe that had installed in each locker -when Akko said that it had a load of security, she meant it- and locked the door as she hurried to the locker rooms.

 

* * *

****

“How were your extracurriculars girls?” Diana had met up with Hannah and Barbara after their final class before the hero lesson. And to say that her mood was significantly lifted would be an understatement. Her class with Akko had been even more enjoyable than she had anticipated, and their conversation had left her in spirits high even throughout her class afterwards. She could only hope that Hannah’s mood had seen significant improvement as well. She’d rather not deal with a peeved Hannah during the hero lessons.

****

“It was fun. We had both classes with Andrew and Avery. Frank was in the first one too.” Barbara certainly seemed to be in a well enough mood. Maybe that had spread to Hannah given she had spent some time with more of her friends.

****

“Well that certainly sounds enjoyable. Can I assume you enjoyed yourself as well Hannah?”

****

“I would have if it hadn’t been for that American ruffian.” Sadly it seemed as if she still hadn’t worked her way out of the poor mood she had found herself in. Diana couldn’t help but wonder if there was some other contributing factor or if she just happened to be having an off day. In all honesty she was probably still upset about the test from yesterday. 

****

“I can assume you’re referring to Amanda, correct?” Even Diana could admit that she wasn’t the biggest fan of the American. They had all been acquainted for some time and she only seemed to grow bolder in her rambunctious and rough nature over the years. That said, Hannah had a different reason for her aversion to the girl entirely.

****

“Can’t she leave me alone for once! It’s like, whenever I’m having fun she just shows up out of nowhere. And she’s so uncouth. Always making those stupid jokes and innuendoes! I can’t believe that Avery and Andrew still hang out with her!” 

****

Diana simply offered a half hearted hum as they retrieved their costume cases from their lockers. They had been able to arrange for theirs to be lined up next to each other, making it possible to actually talk while retrieving their things. That being said, Diana was paying the minimum possible attention to Hannah’s upcoming rant, it was usually inevitable when Amanda was the topic of conversation, but that may just be because she noticed a certain brunette exiting the locker across the hall from her own. Interesting… Though, as they resumed their trek towards the locker room, she couldn’t help but mentally noting that Hannah used to be much fonder of the red head than most.

****

Barbara made a move to put her hand on Hannah’s shoulder, giving it a small reassuring squeeze before speaking. “They’re allowed to like who they like Han. We know why you don’t get along with her but if it bothers you that much then just ignore her.” 

****

“I’ve tried!” Hannah rubbed her free hand against her forehead dramatically, as if it accentuated her point in some way. “But she has this way of getting under my skin! It’s really annoying how she always finds the exact right buttons to press to make me angry.”

****

“You weren’t exactly idle in that conversation either Hannah.”

****

“Who’s side are you on Barb?!” Han almost shouted, indignation prevalent on her countenance.

****

“Perhaps you should attempt to repair your relationship then. Find some common ground where you two can behave like regular acquaintances and not arch nemesis.” Diana honestly didn’t put much stock into the mangled relationship between Hannah and Amanda. Amanda could be a nuisance at the best of times but had never been directly harmful to any of her friends and was even adamant about protecting those close to her, a quality that Diana found rather adamant. And while she loved Hannah and Barbara to death, they had been there for her during some of the hardest moments of her life after all, but she found their incessant bickering when certain people were the topic of conversation, rather irritating at the best of times.

****

The conversation trickled to a relative silence as they entered the locker rooms and set their belongings down on an open bench. Diana took a moment to examine the others present in the room. Of which there were a decent number. Everyone had a case with similar dimensions but varying aesthetic, ranging from miss Yanson’s slim case decorated with bright red and yellows, Miss Antonenko’s rather large case colored in a single red tone, Avery’s rectangular silver case, and then Akko’s sleak ovular case that had been adorned with the imperial variant of the Japanese flag -and at a rather large size for the comparatively small girl. Each difference between two particular cases came as a result of the different companies that they were manufactured by. Similar to how a particular designer will put a particular detail on every costume they design to act as a sort of signature, the different cases were a way for a company to stand out. It was rather silly in Diana’s opinion, it’s not like many people would ever see the cases outside of the hero’s themselves and possibly their sidekicks. But to each their own she supposed.

****

After another moment of contemplation, she directed her attention back to her own case. It was much more… ornate, then most others. Here's was made of titanium overlaid with a thick, polished mahogany shell. Carved into the wooden outer layer was her family crest, engraved and inlaid with gold to stand out against the silver arabesque vines that covered the case. Much like a few of the older families, the Cavendish’s never used a standard hero company to make their costumes. For generations of heroes there had always been one company that her family had used to provide them with their costumes and this particular design just happened to hold great… emotional, significance to Diana.

****

She took her time entering the combination to open the case only pausing to make sure that each article had been included when it opened. Once she was sure that everything was in place she closed the lid once again and picked the case up to make her way over to the changing rooms, only to stop when she heard the sound of something depressurizing from one end of the room. Once she had located the source of the sound she found Akko removing something from her case. It was a strange device that looked to be made up of four rectangular objects all connected at a center rod with some sort of disk at the top and a handle that Akko was holding it buy. Once removed she set the object down on the bench and removed some folded cloth before reclosing the lid of her case and retreating to the changing rooms with both the cloth and the strange device.

****

Hm… curious. But Diana chose not to dwell on it for long. As she made her own way to the barely used dressing rooms. Most of the girls opted to change out in the locker room, but a few found themselves too shy to do so. Diana wasn’t shy, she just happened to value her decency enough not to change in front of what was probably half a class of sexually deprived lesbians, as she knew for a fact many of them were. Though in hindsight, that group included her as well so it probably wasn’t her place to judge.

****

* * *

****

Akko locked the door of the changing room behind her as she entered. After making sure that it was secure she placed her body suit on one of the benches and removed the recepter nodes from the charging core of the device she had brought with her. Technically, having this here was illegal. It was one of the theoretical designs for a quirk dampening device that the government had commissioned Okasan’s company to make. The only reasons that she had been allowed to take this out of Japan was that it was her personal design, and its purpose was significantly different from the one that the government had commissioned them for.

****

The one the government commissioned was meant for protection against quirks, to keep the police safe while they worked to subdue villains before heroes arrived. It was meant to contain and deactivate a quirk. Hers, instead, acted as a barrier, keeping anyone from using there quirk on the area inside it’s range of effect from the outside. At least that’s what she had it set to the majority of the time, if she wanted to she could change it’s parameters to act in a number of different ways. But she preferred to use it as a glorified privacy insurer. She set one of the receptors in each corner of the dressing room, humming as she set about her work, and punched the desired parameters into the core, waiting to hear the familiar hum of the dampening field to signify that it had turned on. Now she would have complete privacy as she changed. At least for this part that is.

****

Deciding not to waste anymore time, she stripped out of the school uniform, messily folding it to store in her case once she left the dressing room. She would have folded it nicer, but she wasn’t much a fan of folding if she was being honest. She usually hung all her clothes in a closet, no folding needed! It was her solution to Ursula yelling at her not to crumple them up and throw them in the dresser anymore. Well, ‘yelling’ is an over exaggeration, it was more like burrowed into her soul using the ‘Mom stare TM’. But that was a hundred times worse than getting yelled at! At least… Akko thinks. Ursula’s never really yelled at her, like _really yelled_. 

****

Once she was out of her clothes she unfolded the body suit and began slipping into it, making sure that it opened to the back. She had already put it on backwards enough times to know not to make that mistake again. The whole thing was a thin, black, breathable fabric laced with thousands of small electronics that helped it link her nervous system to her whole costume. It covered her from head to toe and even extended up her neck and partially up her chin. In all honesty she didn’t really like the all black color of it -a lighter grey or nice red would have been better- but since it would be mostly hidden under the other layers of her costume so she didn’t mind much. Once she had slid it all the way on she pressed the tiny button -well it wasn’t technically a button, more a pressure indicator but you know what she meant- hidden on the right hip next to the slight bulge that indicated the conversion processors of the suit.

****

All at once she felt the suit close up and tighten around her body, compressing every muscle and tendon in as it squeezed around her. This was the only part of getting dressed up that she hated, the feeling as the entirety of the suit constrained and shrunk around her, squeezing all the air out of her as she stood waiting for it to finish. After a few seconds of that horrible squeezing sensation, it suddenly loosened, adjusting to be almost a second skin to her. Because that’s what it really was, it was a synthetic second skin used to better interface with her costume. She could even feel sensations through the body suit as if she wasn’t wearing anything, it was usually unsettling to most people but she when she had first started testing it she still hadn’t had much problem with showing off her body -not that she did so often she just wasn’t afraid to show some skin- so she had actually gotten used to it relatively quickly. 

****

With the body suit on she took a few moments to stretch and make sure that she still had her complete range of motion -by the nines she really didn’t want to do that again if she didn’t- before she turned off the dampening field and gathered them up along with her clothes, returning to her case outside. By this time most of the kids had already gotten dressed up and went to the battle city to wait for training to start. She had expected as much, putting her costume on did take considerably more time than most people’s after all, and it’s not like she actually suspected people to wait for her. So you can imagine her surprise when a few actually did. Waiting by her case, completely dressed, were Lotte, an annoyed looking Sucy -then again that seemed to just be her general disposition-, Amanda, that Constanze girl -was she friends with Amanda or did she just randomly decide to wait for her too?-, and another much taller girl that she failed to recognize. 

****

“Oh, look who it is. Decided to actually come out of there some time today, or did you just forget something? Again.” Sucy glanced over at Akko, not attempting to hide the annoyance from her voice even slightly. Her hero costume only made the look even more unnerving. It was a long, black, tattered cloak that hid all of her body and seemed to be perpetually shifting despite no source of wind or breeze to cause the effect.

****

“Yeah, what took you so long? I was starting to think you ducked out the back or something.” Amanda spoke with a much more teasing tone as she stood leaning on one leg that she had raised onto the bench. Her costume looked like something straight out of an American comic book. It had a red, orange, and blue design with a large yellow star insignia across the chest. The rest of the costume was a standard, yet sleeveless, bodysuit with matching fingerless gloves, steel toed boots, and a utility belt, though her hair had been slicked back so that more of the pink was showing than the orange. 

****

“Sorry!” Akko apologized as she opened her case and removed the remaining articles of her costume before depositing her school uniform in their place inside. “This thing takes a little while to get on. The compression process alone takes forever.” She went to work dressing in the rest of her costume as Amanda continued. 

****

“I can see that. You know these things are supposed to be simple to get on right? You know, just slip it on and get moving. It’s not like having some super complicatedly designed costume is gonna matter in a fight. As long as you look good while kicking butt it doesn’t need to be complicated.”

****

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Akko waved dismissively.

****

“Oh, this is Jasminka and Constanze by the way, but you already met constanze according to her.” Amanda motion to the large woman -Jasminka apparently- who had also somehow gotten a bag of chips from somewhere. She had the softest smile Akko had ever seen -was soft a descriptive word for a smile? Well it was now- and offered a small wave and a quite hello. Then to Constanze who offered nothing more than a thumbs up, a gesture which Akko returned. She would have offered her own hello but was quickly cut off by Lotte of all people.

****

“If it takes so long, maybe you should start changing sooner Akko.” Lotte seemed to be getting bolder, or at least more comfortable around them. So far she had never actually offered much in terms of constructive criticism beyond meekly asking her and Sucy to stop taking jabs at each other -which was almost entirely one sided Akko might add, as she never really ‘jabbed’ back but just answered truthfully. Though that did seem to egg Sucy on to keep going… Maybe she wanted to see how long Akko could go without getting fed up?

****

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I kinda dropped the ball on that one didn’t I?” Akko smiled sheepishly as she slid her arms into the battle half-kimono that made up the centerpiece of her costume. It was sort of like a streamlined kimono that had been cut off about halfway down her thighs. It also had no sleeves, but it did have these small shoulder pointese! They were cute and Akko would fight you on this!

****

“If that was the only thing you ever dropped then we would have the world's most recurrent game of kickball.” Sucy chuckled lightly to herself as Akko sent her a very unimpressed glare, before pressing another pressure sensor on the inside of the kimono. 

****

The squeezing sensation only lasted about a second this time as it synced up with the bodysuit underneath. Once the sensation had passed she let out a quick sigh before sliding into her pants and repeating the process. Meanwhile the other looked almost disturbed, as evident by Amanda’s “What the hell was that?!”

****

Letting out a sigh as her pants -they were really more of a padded leggings style thing- adjusted, she faced Amanda as she pulled on one of her gloves. “It’s the compression process.”

****

When she didn’t continue they proceeded to stare at her like she was something straight out of a cheesy horror movie from when films were still black and white. Eventually Sucy spoke up as Constanze grabbed the other glove and began examining the inside where all the electronic connections were visible. “Sooo… Did you expect us to actually know what that means? Because right now it just sounds like you have some sort of squeeze fetish.”

****

Akko gently took the glove back from Constanze so she could put it on, answering with a confused glance at Sucy. “Fetish?”

****

This time it was Amanda that answered, “Yeah, you know ‘bite me’, people with the feet thing, that sort of stuff?”

****

“Why would you want someone to bite you? And don’t most people have feet?” Once again Akko was met with stares that told her she was definitely missing something. What was so weird about people having feet? Didn’t most people? And what did that and biting have to do with the compression process of her costume? And why was Lotte’s face getting red, was she mad at something Akko did?

****

Before she could think anything else, Amanda knocked her off her tracks again, “Okay, we will talk about _that_ later-”

****

“Please don’t.” Lotte protested from the other side of Akko. Geeze what had gotten her so worked up? Now Akko was growing even more curious about this ‘fetish’ thing.

****

“I disagree Lotte, we definitely should.” On second thought, no. Anything that made Sucy grin that… _evilly_ , was not something she wanted to be involved in. Instead she slid her boots on and pressed the little pressure sensor, button things -she really needed to give them a better name- on the inside as she choose to explain her costume in order to derail whatever they were about to tell her.

****

“The compression process is what my costume does so that it can safely match up the SQ rig with my neurological process. Without it this whole costume would be much bigger and chunkier. The first model looked like you had turned me into a human box-bot.” She stood up, stretching to make sure she could still move at least close to normally -one of the drawbacks to using this suit was that when the whole thing was on it restricted her full range of motion somewhat. Before grabbing the last part of her costume to attach. A half disk like object that looked like someone had folded a plate over itself a few times, her mask in it’s retracted form. Akko always thought it looked like a big, mechanical slice of pizza.

****

“SQ rig? What the hell is that?” Amanda folded her arms annoyedly as she waited for an explanation. 

****

Akko responded simply as she put her hair up in a bun. “Synthetic Quirk rig.” She reached around the back of her head as she brought the outside of the disk to the back of the base of her skull and fastened it into place, taking the time to turn and stretch her head and neck as she made sure it was on correctly. Closing her case and sliding it under the bench once she was sure.

****

“Synthetic Quirks? Like what, you made mechanical versions of quirks?” Amanda seem completely lost as she fell into place besides Akko, matching her speed as they made their way to the battle city.

****

“Not really, it’s… hm…” Akko tapped on her chin as she tried to come up with the best way to describe the specifics behind her costume. “It’s not mechanical, it’s more like… Bioengineering? Basically we take someone’s quirk data and replicate it in a synthetic version that a different person can use. The whole process takes forever and it’s really not worth all the effort put into it, especially for most people.” Akko shrugged as she held the door open for everyone.

****

“Not worth it? It sounds like you’re saying you can just take any person’s quirk and make a copy that others can use.” Sucy didn’t seem entirely annoyed but it also didn’t sound like she was pleased. Really she was probably just indifferent like always.

****

“Yeah,” Amanda on the other hand sounded a bit annoyed, “it sounds like you can just give anyone any quirk they want! I’m calling BS.” She was definitely angry as she made her challenge with her arms crossed. “There’s no way this is an actual thing, and if it is then why isn’t the army using it or something?”

****

“It’s not practical.” Akko began as they neared the battle city. “You can’t copy just any quirk, making even one takes a whoooole lotta DNA and data to properly create a workable quirk model. And even then the time it takes to troubleshoot and put together a system that can actually use the synthetic quirk is annoyingly long, and then you have to actually train the quirk. Not to mention that you’d have to make a new rig for each person who uses it otherwise it will only be effective for that one person.” Akko listed off the reasons on her fingers as they can to a stop at the back of the gathered crowd of students.

****

“But-” Amanda began but she was cut off by professor Finnalen.

****

“Attention everyone! Now that every student is present, we will begin today’s hero training. Acting as your supervisor today will be Professor Pisces.” She motioned towards Professor Pisces, who had stepped up right next to her as she spoke.

****

“Welcome everyone!” Akko couldn’t help but notice that her voice was much more commanding than it had been during philosophy class. Back then she had spoken softly with a very calm demeanor, now her voice boomed out across the crowd and commanded attention. 

****

“My name is Sumi Pisces, but you may call me Professor Pisces. Now since everyone is present we can _swim_ right into today’s exercise.” While Akko was trying to decide if she had just tried to use a fish pun and failed horrible or if that was just a saying in Europe and she didn’t know it -judging by the cringe visible on the other students' faces it was the later- Professor Pisces removed one of those holograph remotes from inside her robes. Another one of those holographic screens appeared in the air as she pressed on of the buttons on top. This one showed each team in Finnelan’s class, all arranged in two columns across from one another.

****

“Today’s session will be simple and straightforward, it’s a game of capture the flag.” She pressed another button, causing all of the team names started switching around rapidly on screen. “The rules are simple guppies, you’re allowed to do anything you want as long as it doesn’t permanently harm your opponents after the healing process. To win all you have to do is either get your fins on the other teams flag and bring it back to your own, or capture the entirety of the other team with the capture tape provided.” The names on the hologram began to slow eventual coming to a stop with a line being drawn to connect teams right next to each other.

****

“What ever team yours is connected with will be the one you face off against. We will go in order from the top of the board to the bottom.” Akko had begun to scan the board but was stopped instantly as the red team was at the top of the board. The first day and she would get to show what she should do first thing? And along with a game of capture the flag -one of her favorite exercises from the academy- this was perfect! Now she just had to see who they were facing. She followed the line over to the team it connected with reading the name out loud in an almost whisper to herself. 

****

“Blue team, huh?” Who was in the blue team? She hadn’t taken the time to actually check who was on what team, besides for the green team she didn’t actually know what other teams had who in them. So who were they fighting?

****

“It seems that the first match will be Red versus Blue team. Both teams please step forward.” Akko, Sucy and Lotte all moved forward to stand next to professor Pisces, looking around to see their opponents. Akko soon spotted them. Her heart suddenly, if only momentarily, jumped as she saw Diana approaching flanked by the Hannah girl to the left and Barbara to the right. They were the blue team? The thought of fighting them actually made Akko’s heart skip again, they would be up against two of the top ten -but then again Sucy and herself were also in the top ten- and not only that but the number one student herself. This was too perfect! And it would be fun to see what Diana could really do.

****

* * *

****

They were fighting Akko… great. It’s not that Diana didn’t want to fight Akko, exactly the opposite in fact, she wanted nothing more than to test herself against the quirky girl. She just wished she wouldn’t have to deal with Hannah and Barbara constant overzealous claims the entire time. They weren’t even five minutes in and she had heard three separate comments about how they would be able to handle Akko and her friends without her help. In fact, she was in the middle of hearing one of those comments right now.

****

“Like Hannah said you can leave this to us Diana.” It seems that Barbara had regained her usually fierce attitude now. She was standing beside Hannah with her arms crossed, wearing her purple, silver, and black body costume. It wasn’t a bad costume by any means and it worked to maximize her transformations effectiveness, Diana just wasn’t fond of the amount of skin shown. It consisted of what could be compared to a sports bra in terms of the surface area it covered, a belt with some pouches -the contents of which Diana was unsure-, and a pair of stretchy pants that ended right above her knees. She had no shoes or gloves to speak of, but it wasn’t like she needed them, in fact If Diana remembered correctly she hated wearing shoes anyways.

****

“That’s right Diana, you can leave it to use. No need to get your hands dirty dealing with the normie.” And Hannah’s insistency wasn’t helping any either. Honestly at this point Diana was afraid that there would be a permanent mark from how much she was pinching her nose. Her costume wasn’t helping much either as Diana found the bright yellow on it to be a tad bit nauseating. Though hers covered more skin then Barbara’s; it was a simple costume with a black and bright yellow striped leotard with a skin tight, black bodysuit underneath. In an exact reverse of Barbara she had both gloves and boots, both of which were padded and had yellow fur peeking out from the top of them, similar to the fur that lined the color of her leotard and spilled out over her shoulders.

****

“Girls, I will say this only once more. Underestimating Akko is a poor mistake and you would do best to remember that not only is she on the top ten for a reason, but Manbavaran is also on the other team. And not only do we have limited data for both but Miss Yanson has supportive capabilities greater than any we have at our disposal.” Perhaps her tone may have been a bit too harsh, but it seemed to do its job as both of them looked down in shame and mumble apologies -well that’s to say Barbara looked ashamed, Hannah simply looked irritated. Followed by a short silence while Diana attempted to formulate a plan.

****

“Do you have any ideas then, Diana.” Barbara looked up as she waited for a reply.

****

Letting out a short sigh, she took a slight comfort in the fact that Barbara looked at least slightly apologetic. “I believe I do.” she straightened her cloak as she began formulating a possible strategy. Her costume was by no means less extravagant than either Hannah or Barbara’s, in fact it was probably much more over the top, but still less gaudy then Hannah’s. Her’s consisted of a mint green, long sleeved tunic -faint details sewn into the length of it’s sleeves-, a pair of black leggings, a pair of brown leather boots that extended almost up the entirety of her thighs, and matching gloves that extended to her elbows. Over top it all she had a billowing white cloak that flared out at the bottom and hefty silver chains adorning it. The final article was a white witches hat with a partial skull at the forefront and branches wrapping around its circumference. 

****

“Akko may be fast and agile but we are located approximately six thousand meters apart, and even with her speed it will take time for her to cross that distance. She will likely take Miss Yanson with her since it would be foolish to attack either alone or with your entire team, so we should more likely expect that she will opt for a two person attack team. Together the combination of Miss Yanson’s quirk with Akko’s physical traits along with her combat prowess will be a formidable attacking force. But, I should be able to hold them off long enough for the two of you to get to their base. You should be able to make it there in a relatively short time frame if you transform completely and carry Hannah all the way there. Once there, the two of you will have to incapacitate Miss Manbavaran and retrieve their flag, when you have accomplished this you will return back here, your return signifies the end of the battle as it won't matter if we can defeat the two of them as long as you bring their flag to ours, so you’ll ignore them while I provide cover.”

****

“You want me and Barbara to leave you here alone? If that normie is coming here with Yanson then wouldn’t it be better to take them both on together and take them out before moving on to Manbavaran?” 

****

“That is also a viable plan Hannah. But these are only theories, it’s more than likely that they may choose an unconventional plan of action to attempt and trip us up. But I’ll leave the decision of which plan of action we choose up to you two. Though I’d advise you to make the decision quickly. We likely won’t have much longer before whoever is acting as their strike team shows up.”

****

Hannah, and Barbara glanced at one another seemingly having a silent debate as they made their decision. Barbara seemed to be the one to make the decision as she turned to speak but before she could, she was cut off as a voice cut through the air.

****

“Do I have a say? Because I have some great ideas that might just help you out!” The voice was certainly familiar but it had been altered slightly by some sort of device, as it had an electronic edge to it that wasn’t present previously. 

****

All at once the three of them turned to find the source of the sound, Hannah and Barbara whirled around to face towards the sound while Diana simple turned her head. The sight that met them was of Akko, crouched on top of one of the sloped tile roofs of one of the taller of the traditional Japanese building that made up this battle city -if she remembered correctly, this city in particular was an exact recreation of a town in the Kyoto prefecture. Her head was obscured by a slim helmet that had two membrane-like ribbons protruding from bulges on the top of the forehead of the helmet. She couldn’t help but take a moment and appreciate the thematic appropriateness of Akko’s costume and their current location. After that moment had passed though, she regained her senses enough to register Akko dropping down from the building top, landing gracefully on her feet before taking a crouched pose.

****

“So, do wanna just give me the flag and avoid me kicking your buts, or do you wanna go a few rounds before I take it?” Akko’s voice had a cocky lit to it, an almost comical one actually. It actually made Diana smile a bit at the cheeky strategy, she was attempting to rile them up with trash talk so that they'd make a mistake. 

****

“What was that normie?! How dare you talk to use like that!” Hannah yelled out indignantly at the taunting. Of course Diana had expected this to happen, Hannah was much too prideful to take any form of trash talk from anyone. Diana was about to attempt and correct her attitude, but took a moment to think about it, deciding that Hannah would never get over her prideful nature if she didn’t learn the hard way, she let her go on with no protest.

****

“Leave this worm to us Diana! Me and Barbara will get rid of her no problem! Right Barbara?” Barbara spared a glance at Diana to gage her reaction but was simple met with a neutral expression as Diana had slid her metaphorical mask into place. Steeling her features as to not give her displeasure away.

****

“Very well, if you are set on fighting without me then be my guest, but know that if you begin to falter I will step in. And you two will follow any order I give from there.” Diana kept her tone neutral and her eyes pinned on Akko, questions swirling in her head as she tried to piece any information she had together. How had she gotten here so fast? Was she alone, or did she bring Lotte and drop her off somewhere else? What tricks did she have up her sleeve? There was so much information that she didn’t have, to much… 

****

“Got it Diana, don’t worry though this won’t take more than a few minutes. Are you ready Barbara?” Hannah outstretched her hands waiting excitedly for Barbara’s reply. She really seemed to be looking forward to this bout. She probably wanted revenge after yesterday.

****

Barbara’s response was in the form of a grunt as she began transforming. All at once her muscles began trembling and convulsing as they grew and bulged, her body growing as a black fur covered her entire body. Claws emerged from her hands and feet as her face shifted to a snout and her teeth grew to fangs. Her eyes and ears followed shortly after as her eyes changed to a bright yellow color and her ears shifted to match her new canine exterior. “Ready.” her voice came out deep and gravely now, her new tail swishing carefully behind her.

****

“Oooh! You’re a puppy?! That’s adorable, let me pet!” Akko nearly demanded excitedly, though Diana could still tell she was taunting. Diana also noticed the ribbons retract back into Akko’s helmet. Curiouser and curiouser.

****

“Okay, I’ll come over there then!” Barbara dropped to all fours, bounding the distance that separates them in a matter of seconds. Once she neared Akko, she pounced, arm raised as she aimed a claw pointed swipe for the chest -her go to since it wasn’t likely to kill as long as she kept the cuts shallow but still took the person out of the fight most of the time, mainly from panic and shock but still out non the less. 

****

But there was something wrong… she could see a faint light emanating from the seams of Akko’s boots as she shifted, her body adjusting to a position that Diana couldn’t say she had seen the girl take in either the footage from yesterday or the exam. Diana was half tempted to call out to warn them but before she got the chance Akko shot up, literally. 

****

The light that had been shining on her boots exploded underneath them in a pulse of light and she launched upwards as if fired from a cannon, twisting her body in the air to deliver a powerful uppercut to Barbara’s jaw. An uppercut that sent her sprawling through the air as she lost any semblance of orientation and came crashing down against the ground. 

****

“Barbara!” Hannah shouted as Akko landed and launched right at the still recovering Barbara. 

****

Said recovering girl brought her head up to find her attacker only to be met with the sight of Akko’s boot mid swing as she aimed for Barbara’s face. But before Barbara could move to defend, one of Hannah’s barriers popped up, blocking Akko’s foot. This was Hannah and Barbara’s main strategy, Hannah was the shield while Barbara was the sword. A combination that proved formidable against most opponents. Barbara took the opening provided to swipe at Akko, attempting to grab her leg, but Akko had already used that pulse from earlier to hop backwards a few yards, retreating before hopping on one foot exaggeratedly while holding the one that had been blocked.

****

“Ow, ow, ow. Man that’s smarts! Hey you!” she pointed at Hannah as she dropped her foot back to the ground like nothing had happened. “Don’t you know that it’s rude to make someone stub their toe?” 

****

“Shut up and go down normie!” Hannah raised her hands as she shouted, forming a ring of shields behind Akko as Barbara charged forward, again attempting to land a downwards swipe of her claws. This time though Akko backflipped to avoid the attack, grabbing ahold of the top of Hannah’s shields and pushing herself off of them to gain more air. Curiously that same pulse hadn’t appeared again. Did it have a time limit, or a cool down of some sort? Or was she just not using it because she didn’t have to for the moves she was utilizing. She successfully gained another two meters of height before she was met with another wall of Hannah’s shields, one’s that she held on to as she recovered from running into them. 

****

“Hey-” She didn’t have much time though as Barbara had already pounced again, leaping at her and grabbing the wall as Akko twisted her body to deliver a kick to Barbara’s ribs. The kick landed solidly, Barbara using the attack to grab Akko’s leg. Akko attempted to use the shields as a platform to try and launch herself away but the hold Barbara had was solid and she simply jumped off herself, dragging Akko along with her as she leapt even higher in the air, slamming the girl down onto the ground as they reached the end of their arc.

****

For a moment it looked as if that had done the trick, Akko laid motionless on the ground as Barbara observed her. Hannah, predictably, took the time to gloat. “Ha! What did we tell you Diana? That was easier than I thought.”

****

And it was easier than Diana thought too, much to easy. In fact, it didn’t take her more than a moment to realize that something was off. Akko’s clothes had gotten… sharper. Not in terms of style but they had literally taken on an edge and they seemed to have gained some sort of rigidity. “I wouldn’t count yourself the winner just yet girls.”

****

“Huh? Why not?! She’s clearly unconscious, right Barbara?” Barbara turned to answer but it seemed that this had been the exact thing Akko had been waiting for, as right at the moment that she looked away her chin was met with Akko’s fist, the only part of her clothing that still had it’s jagged edges, as the rest went back to normal. The punch sent Barbara flailing backwards as she tried to put enough distance between them to recover. But she didn’t get the chance as Akko leapt at her wrapping her legs around Barbara’s neck and swinging her body to use the momentum of her jump and Barbara’s flailing to sending the wolf girl careening into the ground face first. Akko ended up on top of Barbara with her legs squeezing around her neck in a choke hold and Barbara’s arms pulled back at an unnatural angle so as to keep her from freeing herself with them. 

****

“Barbara!” Hannah shouted as said girl thrashed around in a vain attempt to free herself from the unique choke hold Akko had wrapped her up in. “Damn you!” Hannah shouted furiously. As Akko retorted.

****

“Bad dog! We don’t slam people into the ground, that’s rude!” Akko tightened her legs around Barbara’s throat as she spoke, her normal taunting nature still evident in her voice, despite the obvious strain present. “By the way, you are annoyingly strong! That usually would have put most people out with the pin itself. What kind of juice do you drink?” Akko grunted against the strain of holding Barbara’s arms. “Because I prefer a kiwi-kale combination but I think yours might be better!” 

****

“Would you just shut up!” Akko turned to find Hannah charging at her, fist raised and ready to swing. She obviously hadn’t been expecting Hannah to join in on the brawl as she responded slightly surprised.

****

“Oh, you’re joining in the fisticuffs too? Great, that makes this so much easier!” Suddenly another pulse erupted from beneath Barbara as Akko released the hold of her legs around the girl's neck and promptly launched into the air, dragging Barbara up with her by her still firm hold on the girl’s wrists. “DOGPILE!” She shouted as she swung Barbara over her and Launched the girl down on top of Hannah, landing safely on the other side of the pile of limbs that was Hannah and Barbara. 

****

“I would have joined in but dog hair just gets everywhere, and that doesn’t look too good with the white costume. I’m sure you understand.”

****

“Hannah!” Barbara shouted as she transformed back and pulled herself off of the girl in question. “Are you okay?!”

****

Hannah pushed herself up, pressing her glove onto  particularly nastily scraped spot on her forehead as she groaned. “Yeah… damn, your incomplete form is heavy. How are you doing?”

****

Barbara laughed sheepishly as she pushed herself up and offered a hand to Hannah, one that she promptly took. “I’m fine. But don’t muscle-shame my transformation!”

****

“Yeah, yeah. Muscle is heavy, I know.” Hannah waved her hand dismissively as she rubbed the spot on her head again. “Now let’s get this girl.” Both of them looked towards Akko to find her waiting patiently in a crouched position. 

****

“You two ready? I was afraid I broke your neck with that last one.” Akko crouched down further as Barbara transformed back into her previous form.

****

“Don’t worry about us… Atsuko…” Hannah paused as she reluctantly spoke Akko’s name. It honestly looked like it almost hurt her to say it. “We’re about to kick your butt after all.”

****

“Oooh,” Akko drew the syllable out as she placed one hand on the ground in front of her and shifted her weight. “Sounds fun, but It’s Akko, if you don’t mind. Now let’s get this thing started for real.” Without a moment of hesitation more, Akko launched forward again, using that same pulse to propel her forward. 

****

Hannah and Barbara braced themselves as Akko drew near delivering a powerful kick with her right leg aimed at Hannah. Before the kick could land though, a shield intercepted and Barbara used the moment to grab Akko by her chest and flinging her to the ground where she rolled out of a hard landing. Once again Barbara was on her in second, swinging with her claws at any target she thought she could hit on the small girl. But Akko’s agility helped her evade strike after strike as she kept close to the ground and either dodged or redirected each hit with her arms. On the fifth swing she grabbed the striking arm as Barbara was pulling it back and use it’s momentum to pull herself in close enough to deliver a kick to the jaw. This hit would mark the beginning of Akko’s assault as she unleashed a flurry of rapid attacks at Barbara after landing back on the ground.

****

The first strike was a powerful cross into Barbara’s stomach, one that made said girl lean forward on impulse, giving Akko the perfect chance to grab her head and use it took pull her knee directly up, striking Barbara in the nose -or more appropriately in this situation, the snout. But she wasn’t done, apparently, as she then dropped low to bring her closed fist into the back of Barbara’s knee, forcing the wolf to fall down on one knee as she tried to swipe at where Akko had been. But sadly for her Akko was already on the other side, throwing a jab into her rib cage. One that was blocked by Hannah’s shield. Once again Akko attempted to retreat as Barbara swung her arm back around but her back hit one of Hannah’s shields. Barbara then pinned her against said shield, bringing her fist back as she punched three times, the first punch landed directly against Akko’s helmet, the second was blocked by her forearms -her gloves had taken on that same rigid, sharp for as before- and the third was caught, pinned between Akko’s arms as she kicked into Barbara’s chest, sending her flying backwards a few feet with another pulse of light from her boots.

****

Akko took this chance to vault backwards over the shield she had been pinned against. Landing next to Hannah. She bounced up into boxers pose, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her and Hannah began a punching match. Hannah threw a left jab, which Akko easily dodged, followed by a cross from the other direction, this time Akko caught the offending limb, pulling it towards her as she delivered an uppercut directly into Hannah’s stomach. Not giving her a moment to recover she quickly followed the upper cut with a right hook into Hannah’s cheek, sending the girl reeling despite Akko’s still strong hold on her arm.

****

By now Barbara was back in the fight and attempted to free Hannah by striking at Akko with her claws bared, a strike the Akko dodged without letting go of Hannah’s capture appendage, dragging the dazed girl around with her like a rag doll as she dodged strike after strike from Barbara. 

****

At was actually interesting to watch, how Akko flowed between movements that is. Usually people would compare something like this to a dance, and while that certainly fit the display, it wasn’t entirely accurate. Each movement she made was almost spontaneous, yet it flowed fluidly as if second nature to her. Almost like she had ingrained the mentality of a fight into her body, her very being.

****

 Soon enough it seemed that she had had enough of Barbara’s constant attacks as she waited for the wolf girl to lean in for a strike before delivering another pulsed kick to her ribs to create some distance between them. Hannah was just recovering from her daze by this point but was still left helpless as Akko spun around and hooked her free arm over Hannah’s shoulder before heaving, with what seemed to be considerable strength, to toss Hannah a good distance into the air. Barbara moved quickly catching Hannah in her arms before attempting to set her down. But she was interrupted and forced to drop Hannah as Akko leapt up her back, mounting her shoulders as she slammed her hands down on both sides of Barbara’s head before flipping herself up and pulling herself down using the momentum to land a powerful kick to the center of Barbara’s upper back.

****

By this point it seemed that Barbara had gotten tired of battling Akko as she charged, howling, straight at the girl swinging both of her arms down directly on top of her. Akko had been in the middle of repositioning her stance, caught with no way to avoid she simply raise her arms, gloves going sharp and rigid again as she blocked Barbara’s attack. But Barbara didn’t let up as she bared down on Akko’s arms with all of her weight. 

****

And Diana had to admit, she hadn’t expected Akko to put up this kind of a fight. Sure she had expected her to use her some form of martial arts and trickery of some nature, two things she definitely had utilized, to battle against Hannah and Barbara. But she never would have imagined that the girl would have been able to hold Barbara back through brute strength. It’s possible that she had something in that suit that increase her strength as well, it was the only way she could reasonably be accomplishing such a feat. But right now Diana had more pressing matters. 

****

It had been long enough now that one of Akko’s other team members could have arrived if they weren’t here already. She had been right about them choosing a more round about strategy then just; send in two people to fight. So if she had been right about that, what were the chances that Lotte was hiding somewhere? 

****

* * *

****

_I really hope Lotte’s in position!_ Akko thought -well it was more like shouted inside her head- to herself. Her arms were aching, her abs were on fire, and her legs were trembling as she was currently using all of her strength to hold back a giant, probably close to five hundred pound, WEREWOLF, with nothing but pure muscle strength! It was times like this were Akko really wished she hadn’t chosen the temperature regulation quirk for her costume over the strength enhancement quirk.

****

Akko felt her legs begin to buckle as she saw Hannah stumble onto her feet behind Barbara. She needed to think, fast! Hannah wasn’t much of a problem on her own, she was annoyed with those shields of hers but beyond that not very much of a threat and she looked like she was about at her limit anyways. But Barbara was another issue entirely, Akko had no idea if she was getting tired or not and her hits hurt like hell. Along with that Diana had been standing on the sidelines this whole time, just watching them fight with a blank look on her face. If she couldn’t take these two down fast then she had no chance of beating Diana.

****

Okay, okay. Calm down Akko. Get out of your head. Akko squeezed her eyes closed as she took dee, studying breaths. Once again she could feel the strain in every muscle and tendon of her body as she fought against the overwhelming mountain of muscle that was Barbara’s transformation. She was strong, really strong. But not the strongest Akko had ever fought. Both in terms of strength and skill. She had beaten stronger, and she would do so again. 

****

Taking another deep breath Akko decided on a plan and opened her eyes. “You know,” her voice came out strained as she continued to push back against Barbara with all of her considerable strength. “I would say that you have dog breath. But I can’t smell it with the filters on this helmet.”

****

Barbara’s only response was an angered growl as she bared down even harder on Akko. “Yeah, I thought you would say that. But I just thought that you might want to know that it would be a good idea to check in on your friend back there.” Akko nodded her head to indicate directly behind Barbara, as she began to charge up the propulsion quirk in her right boot. This bluff was a long shot but she just needed one moment, perfect. 

****

Just like Akko had hoped Barbara faltered for just a sec, turning her head ever so slightly to look before realizing her mistake but by then it was already too late. Ash Akko twisted her torso to the right pulling her arms with her. Barbara didn’t have time to pull back, all the strength she had been bearing down onto Akko now working against her as she barreled down towards Akko’s knee, at the same time Akko activated the propulsion quick in that boot and sent her knee launching up as she twisted her core and hips along with it, ramming the knee into Barbara’s kidneys and sending her stumbling backwards, abdominal crumbling as she clutched her side. 

****

Hannah was just regaining her baring's by now, but she wouldn’t be able to do anything, as Akko took a few leading steps before leaping up and drop kicking Barbara, sending her flying by activating the propulsion quirks on both of her boots the moment they made contact. Her body went limp as she was flung helplessly through the air, crashing into Hannah and sending both of them through the walls of one of the buildings around them. 

****

Funnily enough, this battle city was a one to one recreation of a town near where she had grown up. They were in what Akko liked to call the snack district right now. And the shop that Akko had just sent them through had been one of her favorites to visit because the woman who owned it sold healthy Ice cream! Can you believe it?! How she made something like healthy ice cream taste so good was beyond her, but now she wanted some really bad… Oh, yeah she should probably make sure they were actually down and out.

****

Whispering a silent apology to Mrs. Tanaka, she began to approach the building but stopped as she noticed Barbara in a much more human form -though not entirely as it still had some wolf characteristics- supporting a limping Hannah as they exited through the hole in the wall. The dust that still lingered in the air parted as Barbara stumbled forward and gently lowered a heavily scratched up Hannah on to her knees. They were both much more banged up then Akko would have expected. Sure, she sent them through a building wall but that happened all the time back at the academy, it was a daily occurrence. In hindsight, using that place as a metric to measure the people here probably wasn’t a good idea. 

****

Barbara looked worse for wear, her arm hung limp, probably dislocated, and she was bleeding from a few shallow cuts on her shoulders and arms, nothing that wouldn’t heal in a day or two. Hannah looked far worse though, at least physically. She had a swollen cheek, a black eye, her costume was ripped in quite a few places and anywhere there was a rip would also have two or three cuts, and she was sitting on her leg awkwardly, probably meaning it had been broken or fractured at the least. 

****

“You two are done.” Akko spoke as she glanced at Diana making her way over to them, pressing the pressure sensor on the bottom of the helmet to make it retract back into disk form so she could get a few moments of breathing better. Maybe she wouldn’t need Lotte after all. As Diana crouched to take a look at the two Akko glanced at the building in the distance where they had agreed would be the best spot for Lotte to set up and watch them. She made a small motion with her hand, the signal to keep her position. Akko still had to take care of Diana if she wanted to get that flag, so best to have back up close by.

****

Akko was suddenly pulled from her thoughts as Diana’s quirk activated, the same mint green energy arcing off of her hair. Akko quickly slid into one of her Usakata stances, as she awaited an attack. But instead she was surprised as the energy struck Hannah and Barbara instead. Akko was momentarily confused, why would she attack her own teammates? Diana doesn’t seem like the type to punish her friends for being beaten. But the reason soon became clear as she witnessed Barbara’s shoulder slide back into place. The swelling of Hannah’s cheek and eye instantly went down, and all of their cuts closed themselves.

****

She can heal people!? “Hey! That’s cheap!” Akko yelled out indignantly.

****

“No, it’s strategy.” Diana’s answer came calm and cool as she stepped back to let Hannah and Barbara stumble onto their feet. Both girls looked absolutely drained, so even if she had to fight them again -which she really wasn’t looking forward to- then it wouldn’t be as difficult as last time. 

****

“That doesn’t make it any less cheap!” she shouted back to them, sticking out her tongue as Diana glanced back at her.

****

Diana turned to her with a small smile as she spoke. “Perhaps. But I assure you, you won’t have to deal with these two again, unless you beat me.”

****

Hannah instantly stepped forward with a protest on her lips, “Diana-”

****

But Diana commanded a stronger presence, as she cut her off, “Remember our deal Hannah. You two lost, so you’ll do as I say.” Hannah shrunk back with a quite affirmation as Diana glared at her. “Very good. The two of you will go and retrieve their flag, if you can not then fall back and wait for my assistance. That is all you need to do.”

****

Both Hannah and Barbara looked like the wanted to protest but reluctantly shook their heads and turned to leave. But before they could get very far the were cut off by a stone whizzing by them at high speeds. “I don’t think so!” they turned back to she Akko with her hand outstretched another rock in her hand and the telltale glow of light that denoted her propulsion SQ. “Sorry but I can’t let either of you leave.” She actually could let them leave, they were probably weak enough that Sucy would have no problem with them, but she wanted to give Lotte enough time to fall back at least a little to help, just in case Sucy needed it. 

****

She was going to throw the other rock, but was cut off by Diana’s quirk activating and the feeling of something grabbing her legs. When she looked down she saw two concrete hands forming out of the ground and holding her in place. “I apologize Akko but this will be a battle between you and me. If you can defeat me then you may go after them afterwards. But until then I’m afraid that I’d like to have you all to myself.”

****

Akko turned her attention back to see Barbara -once again in her werewolf form- Fleeing with Hannah on her back. Deciding that that would have to have been enough time, she turned her attention to Diana. “That’s very selfish of you, you know. There’s enough Kagari to go around.” Akko shook her head shamefully as she raised her hands -one still holding that same rock. 

****

“Oh, that may be true, but I am _very_ greedy Atsuko. I hope you can indulge me for just a bit. It would be so sweet of you.” It seems that Diana had gotten into a joking spirit as well, maybe this would be more fun than she thought. “In fact, why don’t we make this interesting Akko?”

****

“What did you have in mind?” Akko had an idea what she meant, but she didn’t know the details so she would wait to see what she had in mind.

****

“A wager of sorts.” 

****

“Oh, and what would this details of this wager be?” Why people loved making bets in this place was beyond her, but Akko found that it did add an element of excitement to the exercise. 

****

“Simple, if I win then you have to…” Diana faltered for just a moment, seeming to reconsider her request before continuing, “You have to muck my horse, Abigial's, stall for the next week.” Akko felt simultaneously relieved and disgusted at the prospect. That being said… 

****

“Okay, and if I win you have to muck _my_ horse, Rider’s, stall.” Not having to much for an entire week sounded like a definite win if she could beat Diana.

****

Diana’s expression morphed to one of surprises for just a moment before she spoke, “You ride?”

****

“I do indeed. I’ve seen you ending your rides in the morning, I’m a little hurt you haven’t noticed.” She wasn’t hurt, but she still placed her hand dramatically over her heart and put on her best ‘I’m wounded’ pout.

****

Diana let out a small chuckle. “I apologize Akko. Then I would like to change my end of the wager. If I win, you have to ride with me for the next week.”

****

“Hmm…” Akko tapped her chin exaggeratedly as she hummed. It was really only for effect, Diana had made it so that there were no down sides for Akko. There was no way she would say no. “Deal.” Akko re engaged her helmet as she used the charged propulsion in her left boot to break it out of the hand holding it and launched the rock in her right and at the other, destroying that hand as well.

****

“Then let us begin Akko.” Diana adjusted her hat the tilt back a bit. Why did she have a witch hat? Was it supposed to match with her theme or something? Maybe they were just popular here, Akko had seen another student wearing one before they started as well.

****

Diana wasted no more time as she struck the ground in front of her with her quirk, causing the ground in front of her to explode in a cloud of dust as a giant golem, similar in aesthetic to the Pegasus she had made yesterday. But this one stood on two legs and was easily fifteen meters tall. It rose out of the crater that had been created in front of Diana and took slow, meandering steps towards Akko. Not that it needed to take may to reach her, she was practically right in front of the thing. And it seemed to notice that as well, as it suddenly swung it’s giant arm down on top of her.

****

Akko’s reaction was a knee jerk one, as launched herself up and between what would be considered it’s fingers, and on to it’s arm. She broke out into a sprint towards its face as it recovered from it’s missed swing. She had dealt with things this big before, so she had an idea of what she needed to do. The fun thing about big guys like this one, is that they’re reeeaaaallly heavy. And also tend to have a tough time keeping their balance if knocked off center. 

****

Akko noticed the golem bringing it’s arm up to swat at her as she ran. Perfect. Continuing her run she watched from the corner of her eye as the large creature brought it’s hand down to try and squash her, patiently -and being patient was really hard for her so this was extra impressive- she waited until it was right over her before she jumped backwards, trying to give herself an opening to get on top. But this thing ended up being faster than she anticipated. Usually something this big was extremely slow, and this one had seemed to be too, at least at first. But as it brought it’s hand down, it suddenly kicked into next gear, quickly adjusting the trajectory of it’s hand to slide down the shaft of its arm, slamming into Akko and sending her flying into the wall of a building. 

****

Luckily Akko had noticed quick enough and activated the hardening quirk across her whole costume, decreasing the impact damage by just enough that she could pry herself off of the floor on the top floor of a noodle shop. She had just stood up when the golem punched its way through the building, aiming directly for her. Tucking into herself, she rolled out of the way, using her arms to boost her self up and out of the roll as the creature’s appendage began to move again.

****

She needed a new plan! Or at least a better way to accomplish the same one. Vaulting over the arm as it once again swept around to try and grab her, Akko decided that an enclosed space probably wasn’t the best place for this fight. Spotting a window, she launched herself through, grabbing onto the window sill of the opposite building as she landed against the wall. But she didn’t have any time to waste as the golem noticed her and continued it’s tirade, swinging at her once again.

****

Akko propelled herself up into the air, feeling for the first time like she understood the grasshoppers and bunnies that she used to chase around, as she bounded from building to building using the propulsion quirk in her suit too keep constantly dodging and avoiding any attacks she could. She really needed a plan, like, now. And a good one because this thing is too flag'n! Seriously, how can something that heavy and large be this quick!? It doesn’t make sense! The thing kept up with her no matter what she did; each time she would land it’s arm would already be in a position to attack, chasing her the entire way as she dodged swing after swing, leaving no time to think as she weaved in and out of each building she could use even as only temporary shelter. Though it didn’t help that this thing would tear down that shelter in seconds!

****

Deciding to question the physics of this strange creature later, Akko had just leaped over the arm as it thrusted towards her when she had gotten an idea. It wasn’t a very good one, but hey, it’s all she has right now. “Hey, Slow poke!” She shouted, waving her arms around like crazy while standing on the top of one of the few non-destroyed buildings that still remains. “Your mother’s a parking lot!” Whether or not the insult actually helped any is up for debate -Akko choose to imagine that it did. But she waited until it’s swing was right on top of her before hardening her costume just before the hit connected. It sent her threw the building all the way to the very bottom as she braced herself with each floor that she smashed through. By the time she hit the bottom, she was already regretting this plan more than almost any other she had ever had. Not the most though -the penguin plan had been waaay worse in Akko’s opinion.

****

The golem leaned over the building to search for her but a cloud of dust had already overtake the area of the immediate vicinity around the building. As she pushed herself off of the ground, she looked around for the one thing her plan needed to succeed. Her searching grew frantic as she swiveled her head from side to side hooping she could find something that would work before the dust had cleared. This plan had been really reckless, and if she didn’t find it then she would have just gotten thrown through a building for nothing. But as the smoke started to clear she found something perfect. A broken section of one of the pillars of the building.

****

She hoisted the pillar up, straining only slightly under the weight of the large beam, it was nothing compared to holding back Barbara after all. Charging up the propulsion quirk in her gloves she took aim at the left leg of the golem, launching the pillar and hitting it dead on, knocking the leg straight out from under the creature. She dashed out of the building she the golem fell into it, effectively trapping itself under literal tons of rumble as the building collapsed on top of it.

****

Normally she would celebrate something like this, it’s not everyday that you defeat a giant creature of living stone after all, but she still had to take care of Diana. That being said, Akko was extremely tired, like, way to tired. It seems that fighting a werewolf and then a giant golem just might be enough to wear someone out. Of cores she could let that stop her, so she ignored the burning in her arms, she turned to begin the trek back, only to find Diana already behind her.

****

“Well that certainly was impressive. I can’t say that anyone’s ever beaten one of my golems like that.” She had a slightly amused smile on her lips as she surveyed the damage. “Though I’m afraid it’s time that we end this.”

****

“I was thinking the same thing. You wanna surrender now or…” If you expected Akko to stop speaking wise just because of a little exhaustion -and what might also be a concussion- then you didn’t know her at all.

****

Diana gave her an amused look as her quirk flared to life again, blasting the ground underneath them. “Not exactly what I had in mind, but I think you’ll find my argument very persuasive.”

****

Suddenly tendrils of stone and rebar broke free from the ground all around them, rising up into the air as what Akko could only call a giant Squid of stone and rebar broke free from the earth’s crust. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me…” Akko could only whisper to herself as she looked on in exasperation. She really couldn’t get a break today, could she?

****

* * *

 

The scene below her was, well, impressive is a word that one might use. Not Sucy but some people. She was perched on the balcony of the building where they had hidden their flag, or well, where she had hidden their flag. Akko had been against it but then again she had run off with a half cocked plan, taking Lotte with her. The look on the girl’s face as Akko leap into the sky with her was amusing.

****

Though she didn’t have that look right now. She didn’t really have any look right now, as she was currently unconscious. She had tried to take on Hannah and Barbara alone, and it hadn’t worked out that well for her. Well, she had fought rather decently by herself, but it’s not what her quirk was really made for. She was a long range support, and against a melee fighter and someone with infinite, indestructible shields, well… Sucy would only say that she had been at a disadvantage. The staff had just carted her away after her capture.

****

Sucy took a moment to think as she began descending the stairs of the building she was in. Were those shields really indestructible? It said so in her quirk data but then again it’s not like they had ever been tested by anything meant to kill them. And her parents probably paid off the officials to exaggerate her quirk and make her more marketable to hero companies.

****

As she pushed the doors open, Sucy decided that she should test the limits of that shield against her newest concoction. It would certainly be interesting. But first she needed to take care of that mutt. Parker and England turned to face Sucy as she opened her cloak and began shifting through the bottles she had hidden inside. 

****

“You were in there the whole time?” Huh, something seemed to upset the little bee. Oh well, it didn’t matter to Sucy. So she ignored her as she uncorked a light purple concoction and stuck her finger into the bottle. “You just sat in there and watched while we beat up your teammate?”

****

“If I had participated she would have gotten even more hurt.” Sucy replied dryly. She really didn’t care what others thought of her but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t at least answer once. Activating her quirk she could feel the ingredients of the concoction surge through her as the membrane that covered her body shifted colors to match that of the liquid. After a few seconds it regained it’s usual pale pigment and Sucy re-corked and placed the bottle back in its place. “Mutt, come.”

****

She raised her hand towards Barbara as she commanded her like a house pet. Barbara’s only response was a low growl before she leapt towards Sucy, arm raised and ready to strike. There was no doubt in Sucy’s mind that the hound had thought she could take Sucy out easily. But then again… What does a mutt know? 

****

Light purple smoke blasted out of the tips of Sucy’s fingers, covering the distance to Barbara in seconds and rendering her completely unconscious in even less than that. The girls body shrunk as she regained her human form, flying limply past Sucy before rolling violently as she hit the floor.

****

“Barbara!” Hannah shouted at Barbara’s limp body. 

****

“Insects are so noisy.” Sucy drawled out as she opened her cloak again, and began searching for the newest addition to her collection. “She’s only unconscious. She’ll be awake in about… say ten hours. Maybe less given her increased metabolism.” Sucy produced a lime green solution this time repeating the same process as with the purple one.

****

“Why, you little s-”

****

“Oh for the love of, I literally just said she’s only asleep. No need to get your panties in a knot. Now, I suggest you pop up a decent sized shield or you won’t be that lucky.” Sucy began to slowly move closer, she wanted to be close enough to see the effects.

****

“I’m not just going to do whatever you say! Who do you think you are?!”

****

“It doesn’t matter if you want to do what I say, if you don’t you’ll end up maimed and twisted.” Without giving her another moment to retort Sucy began blasting a green smoke at her. Smiling as she put up a domed shield just in time to bock the smoke.

****

“What the hell is this stuff?!” Hannah nearly screamed from the inside of the shield. Hm… so it seems that the shield doesn't impede sound waves… interesting.

****

“It’s my newest concoction. Designed to melt through anything it touches. I heard that this shield of yours is invincible, so I thought this would be the perfect chance to test it.”

****

Sucy’s smile grew wider as she noticed the shields beginning to drip and melt into a thick liquid. “Are you insane?!” Hannah nearly screamed as she strained to increase the strength of her shields. The panic was obvious on her features as she tried so desperately to save herself. “You’ll kill me!”

****

Sucy felt a memory flash through her subconscious at the sight… Many memories… And as she ended her short treck right in front of the now mostly melted shield, she ended the stream of gas. Once the gas dissipated, Hannah dropped to the ground, her shield disappearing as she gasped for breath. Sucy leaned over her as she trembled in a pile of her own sweat, Akko must have really done a number on them if she’s this exhausted. “What… the hell… i-” 

****

Sucy cut Hannah off with a small puff of the purple smoke from earlier. One tiny little breath was all it took and she readily collapsed into an unconscious state. “This is stupid.” Sucy mumbled to herself as the staff came to collect Hannah and Barbara’s unconscious bodies. “That idiot better finish up over their soon. I don’t want to be out here any longer than I have to.” she grumbled to herself as she leaned against the wall 

 

* * *

 

“You now… I think I preferred the golem to the squid…” Akko struggled to speak as she took long, deep breaths. Her entire body was on fire as she leaned against the last standing structure -it happened to be a bent light pole- in their vicinity. The last remnants of the destroyed squid being a pile of rubble at her feet.

****

“I’ll take that into consideration next time.” Diana stood a few feet away from Akko, looked like she had been dragged through the dirt, but not much beyond that. “The idea to use debris as form of ammunition certainly was an ingenious, if not reckless, plan.” Once Akko’s full proof  strategy of ‘get it to tie itself into a big knot like those old cartoons from back when I still watched tv’ failed to garner the results that she had wished -as in it was the exact opposite of foolproof- she had gotten the idea to use dislodged stones with the propulsion quirk in her gloves and launch them like bullets. It had been fairly effective. But it still hadn’t prevented her from being tossed, smacked, and crushed like a toy. But she had ended my spearing the squid through the eye with a giant piece of rebar, so that was cool.

****

“Ha. That’s just how I roll.” Akko slowly pushed herself back onto her feet as she readied herself to keep fighting… at least she tried too, she actually managed to stand up before she fell onto her face. 

****

Diana crouched down next to her as she spoke, “Do you need some help?”

****

“No.” came the muffled response as Akko tried to shuffle her limbs enough to move. After approximately ten seconds of this not working, she sighed and finally relented. “Okay. I might, just maybe, need the tiniest bit of help…”

****

Diana chuckled softly as she flipped Akko around, gently setting her head on her knees. Taking the time to gently brush some of the debris out of her hair as she had taken her helmet off in the middle of the battle. It felt really nice… “Is that better?”

****

“Yeah. Any chance I can get you to surrender?” Akko asked putting on her best puppy dog eyes. They worked on Ursula… sometimes, so maybe they’d work on Diana too. No battle strategy is off the table.

****

“I’m going to have to decline your offer. Is there anyway I can get you to surrender without rendering you unconscious?”

****

“Nope. You’ll have to fight me till I’m dead or asleep in a really comfy bed. My honor says that the former is the only acceptable outcome, but my body says that about seven hours of the later would be preferable.” 

****

Diana let out a small sigh as she smiled. “I may be able to arrange one of those two options. Though I don’t think your honor will be too pleased with my decision.” Diana let a strand of Akko’s hair, that she had been toying with, slip between her fingers before removing Akko’s head from her knees and placing it gently against the ground. “It was an admiral battle Akko. You should be proud, if you hadn’t fought Hannah and Barbara first than you may have well beaten me.”

****

“Oh, I’ll beat you next time. I don’t take defeat lying down!... Ignore how I’m lying down right now. I would get up but I can’t, so it doesn’t count!” Usually a defeat would like this would be more disheartening. But something about this fight had been… pleasant… for the last ten years any fight she had was filed with ridicule, and hatred. Each one had been about showing that she wasn’t worth less than anyone else. But this fight, hadn’t had any of that. Even with Hannah and Barbara earlier; they weren’t nearly as needlessly hateful or malicious as the kids at the academy. And then with Diana… Well, it was fun! She had long since been able to beat almost anyone from the academy individually, so meeting someone who actually presented a challenge and didn’t shove it in her face was a blessing. Maybe she would find more people like that here.

****

Diana smiled at her, shaking her head in amusement as her quirk activated, striking Akko. Suddenly Akko was filled with a deep, warm piece, as she heard Diana voice echo inside her head **_“Sleep Atsuko…”_ **Akko felt her eyelids grow heavy as a delicate, calming sensation wrapped around her body. Funnily enough though, even as Akko heard Diana’s voice… she didn’t see her lips actually move… Huh, strange.

 

* * *

 

**Luna Nova Personality Profiles: Hannah England**

**Age: 18**

 

**Team: Blue**

**Nationality: British**

**Height: 5'5"**

**Weight: 55kg**

 

 **Hair color: Auburn** ****

**Eye color: Hazel** ****

**Hero Name: Queen Bee** ****

**Costume: Designed by her father's company Hannah's costume was created by London Hero's, one of Britain's largest hero support companies. It consist of a black compression body suit, black and yellow striped leotard with yellow fur lining the collar, padded black gloves with the fingers colored yellow and yellow fur lining the insides, and padded black boots with yellow fur also lining the inside.** ****

**Quirk: Honeycomb** ****

**Effects: Can create translucent yellow shields shaped like Hexagons. She can position them in any space, orientation, and size in the immediate vicinity. When touching they can last longer and sustain more damage before breaking.**

 

**Relationships:**

**Diana Cavendish - Childhood Friend**

**Barbara Parker - Childhood Friend**

**Andrew Hanbridge - Friend**

**Avery - Friend**

**Frank - Acquaintance**

**Amanda O'Neil - Complicated**

 

**Companions: None**

 

**Likes: Parties, cake, breakfast tea, bumble bees, honey, Horseback riding, and Jazz music.**

 

**Dislikes: Coffee, spiders, boats, and dubstep.**

 

 **Background: Unlike the majority of the aristocrat student's at Luna Nova, her**   **family's fortune is relatively new. Having been made by her grandmother after she founded a hero support company out of college. The company utilized top of the line technology and innovative design techniques, pushing the company to the forefront of both costume design and support equipment in England. The newness of her family's fortune left her somewhat alienated from many of the children of the older families as a child. Seeing as they didn't put much faith in the staying power of new wealth, the older families had their children avoid her, leaving her alone for most of her early childhood. Throughout most of this time her only friend would be Barbara, who was the daughter of a close family friend. Later Hannah would meet Diana once starting school. While at first they didn't see eye to eye they soon grew to appreciate the other's company after an incident where in Diana and Amanda defended her against a bully from a branch of the Woodward family.**   **From this point on she would accumulate a small but close group of friends that she would protect viciously.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of the fight scenes and the costume descriptions? Could you tell that I hadn't slept in three day while writing this? Do you think I should get a BETA to catch all my horrible mistakes? Tell me what you think in the comments below. 
> 
> (And before anyone get's there hopes up, there won't be a continuation of the fight that takes place between Sucy and Diana. It's pretty much just Sucy get's tired and annoyed and walks off. Sorry if you wanted to see some big grand battle between the two but I have something big planned for Sucy in the future and I don't won't to detract from her big moment when it comes. I'm really sorry if I'm being mean! Trust me when I say that it'll be worth it in the future!)
> 
> Have a wonderful day!


	8. Conversations and Reassurance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a Saturday morning Akko relaxes with her morning run, Lotte reflects on her loss, and Diana and Akko go for a ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone.... I'm not dead. Sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out, and that it's not even a particularly long one. School hit me much harder than I had anticipated. I won't bore you with details but I have less than a single day that I can spend working on any given chapter, so I hope that you'll be patient with me moving forward. But as a consolation, I've done a quick sketch of Akko on Arc. I had tried to insert it into the fic but I couldn't figure out how it worked... so instead, I'll give you the link to my Tumblr where I posted it: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/rosegoldrabbit#. I hope that works. But It's time to get into the chapter, I hope you enjoy and a big thank you to everyone who left a comment on the last chapter. As of the date that I post this chapter that includes; BSoulstone, ChaseArni, Globus, Anon(Synd), brizzer, vickycaro42, RaZGriZx86, DragoNT, PAWZPawzpawz, Acefandom103, Flo07225, Grifith. 
> 
> As I side note I've also decided to hold a competition to see if anyone can guess the details of Diana's quirk. I've tried to set up a surveymonkey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QG7L6FR - but have no clue if I've done it right. If not simply put your guess in the comments below. I don't actually believe anyone will guess her ability exactly, mainly because it's much too complicated to accurately guess, but the first person who gets closest to her main ability will be the winner. The prize will be their choice of which character I draw, in hero costume, first. I'll leave the survey up until chapter ten when I will add in Diana's character Profile.
> 
> Anyways, it's 3 in the morning for me and highly probable that I have missed a few things I meant to add in these notes, but it's time to get to the actual chapter. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a comment.

**Chapter 7: Who Are You?**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

It was going to rain. The humid wind swept past her perch high up on the tallest tower she could find as she looked out over the city she had grown fond of holding her morning runs in over the past week. Well… the word ‘runs’ didn’t quite fit. She probably spent just as much time flipping through the air and vaulting over obstacles as she did with her feet hitting the ground. But at the moment she couldn’t think of any better word for it. Not that she really needed to, not now at least. The sun was just finishing its rise over the horizon from her elevation. From the ground, it would still be barely halfway through sunrise, altho the thick cloud cover that was forming would probably prevent it from being seen by then -one of the few indicators that it was going to rain later on-, but she was far from the ground now. She had spent the majority of the morning, after the ride over to the proxy city, scaling up what looked to be an approximation of a cell tower on top of a skyscraper. 

 

Deftly, she hooked on leg around an inner poll of metal and braced the other on the outside, letting go with her hands to sweep her arms out to the side. Hanging there, so high up that she couldn’t even begin to imagine what the fall would do if she hit the ground starting from here. She used nothing but her legs and abdominal strength, nothing but her own body to suspend herself seconds over death. Most people would find this position suffocating or terrifying, to know that the only thing keeping you from certain death was your own body and resolve. All of your being against a force of nature such as gravity. But Not to Atsuko. No.

 

This has been her life for the past ten years. She had spent every morning and night fighting and struggling against people with powers and capabilities far beyond what others would consider normal even in this super-powered world. Struggling with all her might against a society that hated her for trying to do something that they said she couldn’t. All because she didn’t have what they had. But that’s why she could do things like this… just hang out in the open air, with her arms spread wide knowing that her body wouldn’t fail her, because it had overcome so much more than gravity, and she had the scars to prove it. But all moments of peace must come to an end, and she still had to start her run.

 

After all, she had to meet Diana for their morning ride soon, at least according to her Ursa-app, and she didn’t want to keep the blonde waiting. She had upheld her end of the deal after the battle and for every day of the past week they had taken their morning rides together. It was fun! Diana was always really nice and she acted like a noble from one of those old stories Otousan used to read her before bedtime. Maybe she was a noble… they had become much more prominent throughout the war, and it wouldn’t surprise Akko given how polite and fancy she always acted. That would be so cool! And it made complete sense! She was gorgeous, had perfect skin, talked really fancy with a cool British accent, rode a white horse, and always dressed in nice expensive clothes. And being a noble would mean that she wasn’t an aristocrat! Aristocrats and nobles were completely different! Trust her, she totally knew!

 

It would explain some of the things Diana did when they would ride. Or how she was always so former and proper. Or maybe she was the rare breed of aristocrat who was actually considerate and bothered to follow all the old customs about politeness. That would be neat. Maybe Akko should try to learn some of those ‘old customs’ as she had put it. Did they still do that thing where they would kiss each other on the cheek? It was a sign of appreciation… or something. Akko didn’t really know, but she remembered there being something like an ‘appreciative-cheek-kiss’ in some of the storybooks she used to have. Maybe she should just ask Diana… Or she could just try it and see what happens. That’s usually her go-to in situations like this.

 

But that whole line of thought could wait because her Ursa-app was yelling at her again. Well not so much yelling as passive-aggressively judging her -yeah well you’re just a stupid app on a home built phone, so _neh_. After almost dropping her phone while sticking her tongue out at it -in hindsight, probably not the best idea when dangling precariously so high up in the air- she popped her earphones in and started her ‘totally awesome run track - volume three’ and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as the music faded in. 

 

Starting quietly with the slow methodical sound of a piano flooding into her ears. She reached up, grabbing one of the metal poles above her as she brought back the knee she had used to anchor herself to the structure. The melody continued to flow, slowly gaining momentum as she twisted around, hanging off if the structure now instead of clinging onto its side. And suddenly, the music burst into full, a guitar joined the piano, which had ramped up its tempo significantly, and the two blared in perfect harmony. This was Akko’s favorite part, of both this song and her runs, right as the tempo increased and the new instrument was introduced her blood pressure would spike, her mind would focus, and her body would simultaneously relax and prepare for whatever came next. But not just because of the music, the high pressure of the notes, or the danger of being up so high. No, it was because right at that moment, right when the music really took off… She would jump.

 

With her eyes still closed she would feel the wind rush past her, the knowledge that the ground was approaching fast, if she did nothing then she would die, and the sound of her blood in her ears as it matched the tempo of the music. This… this was how she should feel. This was that high that came during a tough fight when you were facing an enemy that you knew you couldn’t beat but had to try anyway. How she felt almost every day when she first started at the academy, similar to how she felt towards the end of her fight with Diana. She used to hate this feeling, the strain of the journey, the fear of what failure meant. But as she grew she learned to love it, because she found out what failure really meant. Death. Complete and indiscriminate. If she wasn’t strong enough, fast enough, good enough, then she would die. It was simple and straightforward. And because of it, the prospect of death had long since lost any hold over her. 

 

There wasn’t any more time to think about that though. If she wanted to… well, live. Then she would have to act and not just fall limply through the air. And she knew that her target was approaching fast, so she forced her eyes open and angled her body flat in the air so that it would slow her decent slightly. Gaining her orientation, she noticed her target not that far below her, a few power lines connecting the tower with some of the nearby buildings. 

 

She moved fast, it’s not like she had much choice, reorienting her body once again and steering with her arms out to grab the nearest line as she passed by. Bracing her left hand on top of her shoulder as she reached out to grab onto the wire, the line went taught as it sagged under her wait, buckling under her momentum before bouncing back as she used her gloves to ride the wire towards the closest building, maintaining a portion of the speed she had gained from the fall.

 

A while back that kind of move would have snapped the line -not to mention dislocated her shoulder, but her armings were designed specifically to prevent that in extreme cases such as this one- but there had been a villain attack a while back that changed the way power grids were set up. It was in America, shortly after the war, in Los Angeles if she remembered correctly. An unnamed villain with a strange quirk had practically drained the entire city’s power supply and then eaten the wires to increase its mass. They had gone on a rampage for three days, resulting in the entire city being nearly completely decimated. The incident had been one of the first to reveal just how inefficient the current architecture of cities were to withstand battles between heroes and villains. As a result, drastic changes were made not only to the power lines in America but architecture, in general, all over the world. Now lines were designed strong enough to withstand the strongest heroes or villains and catch falling debris that may fall from a damaged building. It had become a common practice for civilians with no way out of a battle zone to hide underneath power lines because they were built to protect from falling debris and objects such as cars or mailboxes -they always threw the mailboxes- or post boxes since they were in England. That is what they called them here right? Akko couldn’t help the overwhelming sense of Deja Vu as she launched herself off of the wire, maintaining as much of her momentum as possible as she hit the roof of the closest building.

 

Thinking about it, now probably wasn’t the best time to daydream about the historical and archetypal ramifications on any random person on the sidewalk being able to potentially destroy a building. Getting a little off her tracks was fine, it was a bit essential actually, but she probably should have left it until she had her feet solidly on the ground. Though it doesn’t matter anymore because her feet had just hit the ground, at least for the moment. 

 

As she vaulted over the ledge of the current building she was on, she once again let her mind wander. And she couldn’t stop it from going back to the exercise on Tuesday. Regrettably, they lost. Not by much from what she heard, she had woken up an hour afterward in the nurse’s office. Her team had been there waiting for her to wake up and had explained what happened during the fight in a brief synopsis. She couldn’t really say that she was upset, the fight with Diana had been well worth the loss after all, but it was still a bit disappointing. Especially after hearing how Sucy had just given up against Diana. It doesn’t sound like something she would do, at least not with how grumpy she had been afterward. She had made it sound like she had just gotten bored, but maybe something had happened during the fight? It’s possible. After all, Sucy wasn’t the most straightforward person… sometimes…. Maybe she should try to hang out with the two of them more.

 

On the other side of the reaction spectrum; Lotte had seemed rather upset. She had kept apologizing about getting beaten and not following the plan. If Akko’s being honest though; it’s not like there was much of a plan to follow. She had been rather unspecific in her description of the so-called ‘plan’. All Lotte knew to do was to go back and help Sucy. If anything, it was Akko’s fault; she hadn’t come up with a plan solid enough to win. It was something that she had told Lotte plenty of times but it didn’t seem to help at all. She really did have to do something about those two. Maybe there was some sort of team bonding exercise that they could do together…. Oh, well… she would think of something later. 

 

Akko let her mind wander to other thoughts though. She had to finish this run soon or she would be late for meeting up with Diana. They were going to go riding together and then Akko had a few chores to do before everyone met up later that day. She had been so busy with combat practice this week that she hadn’t really had time to get much done. She still had to give Arc a tune-up and install the new pieces in the engine. Maybe she would get to that tomorrow though. It was a nearly full day task, so she would have to drain the engine early in the morning if she wanted to get it done by night time. Though, on second thought, it would probably be best to put it off for a bit longer. That way she could just wait for the reconstructed pieces made from Arc’s original metal to come in. The ones she was going to install were just upgraded stand-ins until they arrived sometime later this month. 

 

Not that she really needed to upgrade it right now. The stand-ins she was using were better than what’s in most newer bikes. In fact, everything about her Arc was better than newer bikes. 

 

What were the chances that Diana would be a motorcycle fan? Riding a motorcycle was just like riding a really fast horse, right? Probably not. 

 

On second thought, a motorcycle didn’t seem like Diana’s style. She seemed like the kind to have one of those really new, expensive, curvy models of cars. As much as Akko would argue that Arc was far better looking than anything sold today, she had to acknowledge that it wasn’t everyone’s style. Oh, well…. But maybe she could get Diana to like Arc… it’s true that it may not be her style but maybe if she gave her a ride she might change her mind. Though she hadn’t really ever let anyone ride Ark before. Sure, her brother had ridden with her when she was learning, and she had given Ursula a ride a few times -mainly on the rare occasions when she would have a few too many cups of wine after the celebratory dinners they would hold anytime Akko would get a one hundred on a test or would win something -she had participated in a few prestigious physical competitions in the past to appease her parents. But those were the only two people she ever let ride, Ark!... Except for that time Otousan had asked to ride… but he had promptly decided that he preferred looking over riding after that.

 

As she continued her run, effortlessly flipping over a couple of random pipes protruding into the air in front over her, she let herself slip into the rhythm of the music she had selected. Letting her mind be drowned out by its fast-paced melody. She had a lot to think about, but for now, she would let herself stop thinking. After all; this was one of the few times she could. One of the few times her mind would quite and she could lose herself in whatever she was doing: whether it be working out or working on something. This was one of the few things that would quite her mind and, as strange as it sounds, let her relax.

 

* * *

 

 

She had failed. Lotte knew this. She had been stupid and thought she could take them both on. Akko kept saying that it wasn’t her fault, and maybe she was just the tiniest bit right… but Lotte was still to blame. 

 

Her throat burned, and her dry lips trembled as she strained to keep her voice even. Around her, several glowing shapes danced and drifted here and there. Each one a different color and shape, Illuminating the dark room around her in a glow of red, blue, yellow, purple, orange, and green. Each one following a different continuous path, weaving around and between each other as Lottes melody filled the room.

 

They could have won… if Lotte had just done the smart thing and waited to back Sucy up instead of charging in head first! How had she been so stupid?!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

She kept her melody low, making sure that Barbara wouldn’t be able to hear her until it was too late. It should be easy from here on outright? Akko had already beaten Hannah and Barbara once, even if Diana had forced them to heal faster they wouldn’t be strong enough to beat Sucy. Especially not if she could get back in time and back Sucy up. It should be easy, right?

 

They would charge Hannah and Barbara once she got back, take them out, and then head over to help Akko. It was almost impressive; despite not having a plan -not really anyways; unless you count general instructions and vague hand signals as a plan- Akko had given them the advantage. She had been able to take two characters almost completely out of the conflict with only her self and that strange suit of hers. How did that thing even work? It didn’t matter, Lotte could ask her later.

 

She increased the tempo of her song, risking accidentally increasing her volume in exchange for more speed. She had to get there in time, and one spirit enhancing her speed wouldn’t be enough. It didn’t help that she wasn’t as used to using her spirits to enhance herself as she was other people. 

 

With the second spirit boosting her she found her speed increasing exponentially. It was one of the most useful aspects of her quirk, and also the one that people had tried to exploit the most. One spirit would simply enhance, two or more would multiply. It was such a huge difference that it was like comparing a single novel to a book series in terms of content. Maybe it would even be enough to get her there before Hannah and Barbara. 

 

Well as it turns out, ‘maybe’ wasn’t just an exaggerated hope of hers. As it wasn’t long until she saw her destination up ahead. Their starting position, and heading right for it were Hannah and Barbara. Hannah riding on Barbara’s back. But unknowingly, she had let her voice grow a bit louder than she had meant. Because, despite trying to avoid detection, Barbara’s ears twitched upwards as she jerked her head back, eyes almost immediately falling on Lotte. 

 

Damnit! She wasn’t supposed to be found! What was she going to do now? 

 

But instead of rushing to fight her, Barbara continued towards their starting point with Hannah turning to keep an eye on her as they progressed. They were ignoring her? That was good, great actually! Now all she needed to do was reposition and send a spirit or two to help Sucy. Even if Sucy didn’t need it she wouldn’t be useless in this fight.

 

She turned to head off in a slightly altered path, but suddenly her body betrayed her. Freezing as a thought entered her mind. It was a horrible thought… one that she should ignore. But… Why was she running? Wasn’t this what she had come here for? To learn how to fight this kind of enemy, ones bigger and stronger than her. She had come all this way to grow, to be stronger. So why was she running the first chance she got?

 

Wasn’t it because of what she had been told, what she had always known about herself? Because she was a coward. Just like they had always said…. What had she done so far? She watched Akko without helping, let her get hurt without even lifting a finger or sending a single spirit. And she was about to do almost the exact same thing to Sucy… did she need everyone to fight for her?

 

Suddenly, something in Lotte changed. She felt a fire in her chest, one that pushed her to do something stupid; really stupid. Nine forgive her if she fails…. Beginning a new song, much louder than the previous, she felt the familiar sensation as the spirits left her body. At first two of them, both looking like small pulsing orbs of orange energy, vibrating and shifting around violently. Then she changed the pitch, and they rocketed forward. Hannah warned Barbara right as the balls of energy soared directly towards them, putting up a wall of her honeycomb shields as Barabara came to a screeching halt.

 

The two spirits met the shield not a moment later, exploding in a giant burst of energy right as they made contact with the wall’s surface and bouncing off in either direction to their sides, coming to rest just above the ground. 

 

Once again Lotte changed the melody, this time two red, wisp-like orbs appeared before embedding themselves in her legs, sinking into her skin to replace the spirits that had been enhancing her speed. Once she felt the effects sinking in she launched herself forward, landing near the two as Barbara let out a deafening howl. 

 

Hannah let go of Barbara as she launched towards Lotte, repeating that same move she had used against Akko right before they had been defeated, slamming her both her hands down on Lotte. 

Changing the pitch of her song, Lotte ordered the spirits in her body to move to her arms as she brought them up to block the strike. If Akko could do it without her help than Lotte would have no problem with two spirits enhancing her strength. At least she thought so. But as the blow struck, she found her legs buckling bringing her to her knees as her arms trembled. 

 

She cursed herself internally, she hadn’t thought to keep some of the strength in her legs! Even if her arms could block the strike she still needed strength in her legs to keep herself from, well, being pushed down like she just had been. And another thing she hadn’t considered, was that Barbara was much stronger than she had thought! How had Akko held her back by herself?! Even with two spirits, Lotte’s arms were trembling and burning as the spirits strained to make her strong enough to even slow the progression of Barbara’s claws as she slowly pushed them closer to Lotte. 

 

Suddenly Lotte saw something from the corner of her vision, Hannah. She was hopping from shield to shield in the air, positioning herself over the two battling below. At first, Lotte thought that she was just getting a better vantage point, but then she jumped. And suddenly Lotte understood, she was going to drop down and use the momentum to attack! They had trapped her in a pincer attack without her noticing.

 

In a moment of panic, Lotte strained her voice to change the song once again. The spirits in her arms weakened but it didn’t matter, as the two orange spirits that had been floating off the side rocketed back into action, one hitting Barbara in her ribs and the other landing against a shield Hannah had put up to protect herself just in time. 

 

Barbara was thrown into a nearby wall as Hannah lost her bearings in the air and fell awkwardly. Both spirits returned to Lotte’s body as she sagged onto her knees, panting as she let her melody fade. But her respite was short-lived as Hannah recovered from her fall without her noticing, throwing a punch that aimed for her face. Lotte saw it coming in the last few seconds, but it was enough time to raise her tired voice again. Summoning another orange spirit Lotte directed it towards Hannah, but suddenly Barbara was right there. Before Lotte could have the spirit do more than leave her body, she felt Barbara bring her fist down on top of her head, dazing her and leaving her wide open to Hannah’s punch. A punch that landed directly against her jaw, knocking her out cold as the spirit returned to her body, keeping her awake just long enough to see the ground as she face-planted limply against it.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lotte’s voice cracked and strained as she tried to extend her melody out any longer. She needed to get stronger. Not just with other people but with herself. She needed to be able to fight on the front lines, taking on villains out one-on-one instead of hiding in the back and providing support to whoever needed it. If Akko could beat Hannah and Barbara by herself with no quirk, then Lotte should have been able to get at least one by herself!

 

She could feel the sweat dripping down her nose as her voice finally gave out. Her body trembled as the spirits slowed in their paths and eventually stopped, halting mid-air as she fell to her knees. Yet, she still forced a hoarse voice into the air, ignoring the sting in her throat as the thoughts returned. If she had just fallen back like Akko had signaled and waited to support Sucy from afar, then they could have fought Diana together. Instead, she left Sucy to fight not only Diana but Hannah and Barbara as well, all alone. It’s no wonder that she just gave up. Lotte would have as well, at least in those circumstances. 

 

Suddenly a hand fell to Lotte’s shoulder, startling her enough to cut off her song and send her spirits flooding back into her body, where they would rest until she called on them again. “You’re going to ruin your voice like that.” Sucy’s monotone voice rang out across the room. Only the barest hint of irritation finding its way through her veil of indifference. 

 

They had been living together in the school's dorm for the past week but had rarely interacted for more than a handful of minutes at a time. She seemed to be cold most of the time, so Lotte hadn’t made many attempts at engaging in conversation. But then again neither had she. They had fallen into a strange, awkward sort of in-between state when Akko wasn’t present. The excitable brunette always had so much energy and an ability to so easily make conversation that whenever she wasn’t there it could get awkward between the two of them. That’s not to say that they relied on Akko to get along, as outgoing as Akko was she wasn’t the most… adept, at getting along with others. There were simple things and social cues that she wouldn’t pick up on and as strong as she was she wasn’t always the brightest academically -she had a hard time understanding things right away, but usually got it the next day. 

 

“I… have to get stronger….” Lotte’s voice came out crackly and hoarse as she spoke between panted breaths. “I can’t… let everyone… fight my-” She was cut off by a hard knock to the top of her head by Sucy. 

 

“Bobo ka!” Sucy’s voice rang loudly as she displayed something closer to anger than Lotte had ever seen from her. “Don’t be stupid. This ‘training’ that you’re doing is only going to harm you.” Sucy stalked over to the door, raising the slider on the switch to brighten the lights in what would have been Akko’s room if she had decided to live at the school.

 

“But-” Sucy didn’t understand. How could she? She had been born with a powerful quirk. One strong enough to give her the number two position. She had seen Sucy at work during training, they had to put the students that had more destructive quirks, or ones with higher outputs, in separate buildings to assure the safety over the other trainees. Of these Sucy, Diana, Constanze -though she was told that Constanze's move had been more due to the support equipment she used rather than her quirk itself- Jazminka, Andrew, and strangely enough; Akko -though that was supposedly a preference of Akko’s primary mentor as opposed to a necessity. Apparently, Sucy had nearly collapsed the building on several occasions. How could she know how Lotte felt with power like that!?

 

“It’s fine if you want to be strong.” Something about Sucy’s voice ended Lotte’s protest before she could continue. It was harsh, but also remorseful. “But it’s a lot of wasted effort if you kill yourself in the process….” Sucy slowly made her way back to the center of the empty room, where Lotte was still kneeling on her knees. Covered in sweat as her throat seared in pain. Outstretching a hand Sucy kept her gaze neutral as she offered Lotte help. “Come on idiot. You need a shower and something for your throat. I don’t want to have to handle that dunce of ours alone at lunch later. And she’ll never shut up if she knows I let you do this to yourself.”

 

Lotte regarded the offered hand with caution at first, it’s not that she didn’t trust Sucy, but she didn’t know what accepting that hand would mean. Wouldn’t it only serve to prove how useless she was? That she wasn’t strong enough to even lift herself off the ground…. Could she let herself accept it if that’s what it meant?

 

“I’m not going to hold my arm out forever. Either accept it or stand up on your own.” Sucy’s words brought Lotte back to the moment. She had a decision to make. But instead of accepting the outstretched hand, she pushed herself up with shaking arms. Swaying slightly as Sucy watched with an air of what Lotte would call disapproval. “Suit yourself I guess. Just don’t trip on your way to the bathroom…. I have something for your throat, just let me put it together before your bath.” 

 

Lotte trialed behind Sucy as they exited the room, trudging along silently as she considered Sucy’s words. She had much to think about… maybe she should try listening to Sucy…. Just maybe…. 

 

* * *

 

 

It was shaping up to be a rather dull day. At least in terms of the weather, that is. A thick cloud cover was forming in the sky, and Diana couldn’t say that she was too happy about it. Rain on a Saturday had always been a dreary thing. But she had already decided not to let it bother her as she pulled her helmet on and kicked some of the dirt from her riding boots. She was set to meet Akko in a few moments and she didn’t wish to sour the experience because of some slight bad weather. Diana still couldn’t believe that Akko could actually prefer the rain. It had come up as a topic of conversation during their second morning ride and she still found it unbelievable. 

 

Diana slipped Abigail’s saddle on as she spared one last glance towards the greying sky. In all honesty, the morning rides hadn’t been Diana’s intention when she issued the challenge during their practice bout. Originally she had been planning on asking for a date, but she had quickly reconsidered. She had realized that she was likely being much too forward, much too fast. She should spend a bit longer than a day getting to know the girl before she attempted anything so bold. Or at least find out if their romantic inclinations aligned. Something that she planned on doing soon enough, maybe today if the opportunity presented itself. But as to why she had changed her plans; she had still wanted a chance to get closer to the girl, so she hatched a scheme. She offered that Akko would have to muck Abby’s stall, guessing that the girl hadn’t been too familiar with horses. The plan was to come by when she was mucking, engage in some light banter, and then alleviate her from the burden and offer that she rides with Diana in the morning instead. But that all went out the window when she revealed that she not only rode but did so often in the morning. So Diana had to alter her plans once again. Such a shame, she had been looking forward to riding **with** her as opposed to **beside** her. But despite the change in plans, Diana couldn’t argue with the results. And besides, she plans to utilize her wording from the challenge as a way to rectify the situation. Luckily Akko had revealed that she often let Rider rest on the weekend.

 

“DIANA!” Diana was brought out of her stupor to find Akko waving excitedly as she all but sprinted towards her. The smile she donned matched her excited movements and it seemed that Diana would never get tired of her childish disposition. Something about it was so refreshing when she had spent the last several years of her life among the stern faces and stiff backs of the older blue bloods. Having someone like Akko alleviate that burden was a blessing whether or not they ended up as friends or more. 

 

“Good morning, lady Kagari.” Diana ended her overly proper greeting with an exaggerated bow, enjoying the adorable giggle that she got in return. “I hope you are faring well this morning?”

 

“Of course my lady.” Akko finished with a mock curtsy in return, a brilliant smile stretching across her face as Diana straightened up. “Just let me get Rider saddled up and we can go.” 

 

But before she could turn to leave, Diana interrupted her with a clear of her throat. “I think not Miss Kagari. You have yet to fulfill your end of the bet to completion and I believe it’s about time that I hold you to our agreement.”

 

Akko turned back to her with an expression dripping of both confusion and intrigue, seeming to rack her brain for whatever Diana might be talking about. Finally, after what seemed like a much too long a pause, she asked the question Diana had been waiting for; “What do you mean? The bet was that we would ride together in the mornings if I lost. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”

 

Diana took a moment to note the slight scrunch of Akko’s brow as she tried to pursue through her thoughts, taking only but the barest of time before she answered. “I’m afraid that’s incorrect Akko. I believe I said ‘If I win, you have to ride with me for the next week.’ So far you have ridden **beside** me, not **with** me.” Diana stepped beside the mounting block that she had prepared earlier, offering her hand out to Akko with a slight bow while the other was folded behind her back. “As I said, I believe that it’s time to uphold the bet to its fullest.”

 

It seemed to take Akko a moment to process, for she just stared on blankly for a moment before she seemed to begin panicking slightly. “W-wait what?! Your kidding right!? I thought you just wanted to ride horses together!”

 

“And I do, but I’d prefer to have a closer company. And it would also be an apology for unleashing my monsters upon you. It’s only fitting that I let you relax a bit after putting you through all that.” Diana had expected some resistance, it was rather awkward a request for how long they had known each other after all. But the most important aspect of being the head of the Cavendish family was the ability to command. You required the respect and loyalty of all branches of the family as well as those around you. Growing up knowing such had made sure that Diana would go after what she wants with everything she has, and if she had even the slightest chance with Akko, she was going to give it all the effort she could muster. 

 

In all honesty, she had no clue as to why she was so fixated on this girl, it simply felt right to pursue her. A sappy book or hopeless romantic would call it ‘love’ but Diana knew that love wasn’t that simple. It took time and work to love someone. Diana was simply able to realize the signs of infatuation and wasn’t one to deny them needlessly. Especially with such an interesting person as Atsuko.

 

But Diana’s assumptions -she had assumed that Akko would need at least a little convincing- were quickly proven wrong as Akko donned a slight smile and even slighter blush. “Well, if you insist, My Lady.” She ended her sentiment by accepting Diana’s hand, using it to boost herself up onto Abigail's back along with the mounting block. Diana followed, trying her damn hardest to ignore the way her heart seemed to skip at Akko’s utterance of ‘My Lady’. She eased herself in the saddle behind Akko, slipping her arms around the girl's waist to grab the reins and squeezing with her legs ever so slightly to urge Abigail into a trot.

 

Akko sat slightly forward, seemingly making a conscious effort not to lean back against Diana. She gave an ever so slight tug of her arms, an invitation, urging her to relax against Diana. But whether or not Akko understood, she showed no signs of recognition. Diana couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit disappointed, but it’s not like she didn’t understand. 

 

As she resigned herself to having to settle with the small victory, Diana still couldn’t argue that watching Akko happily sway ever so slightly left and right as they trotted along was well worth it. The almost dopey smile on her face as her attention flittered here there and everywhere, not holding on any one thing for more than a few seconds. They rode along in silence for a bit before Akko spoke up suddenly.

 

“Hey Diana, are you a noble?” The question was so sudden that it brought Diana aback momentarily, leaving her speechless for a few moments. But it was simply a moment, as she answered the second she got her barring about her.

 

“Hmm…. Not exactly.” Diana relaxed slightly as she sat back in the saddle. It wasn’t uncommon knowledge, her family history that is, but Akko wasn’t from Europe or even America. So it isn't likely that she knew much about the Old Nine Heroes or the subsequent families. “Have you ever heard of Beatrix Cavendish?”

 

Akko gave her a slightly confused look over the shoulder as she relaxed in the saddle ever so slightly, leaning a bit further forward to give Abigail a small pat on her head. “Yeah, she’s one of the Old Nine, right? I think her current family also has a hospital or something…. I think I was treated at the one in Japan a long time ago....”

 

“Indeed, one of the original nine heroes who founded Luna Nova, Beatrix, was my great ancestor.” Diana suppressed a slight smile at the wide-eyed, surprised look the Akko gave her. So cute… “While not technically Nobility, as the heir to the Cavendish house I have some semblance of influence in certain areas of government. And yes, my family does run Cavendish Medical.”

 

Akko glanced to the side, taking in the scenery of Luna Nova as the trotted along. “So you’re not an aristocrat?” 

 

Once again, the question was so strange that it left Diana momentarily questioning where it possibly could have come from. “No, I suppose not necessarily.” 

 

Akko turned to face Diana over her shoulder, beaming the brightest smile that Diana never knew such a simple answer could cause. “Why do you ask?” Diana used the question as a means to ignore the warm feeling that invaded her chest at the sight of the smile and the fact that Akko leaned back ever so slightly. She was still learning much farther forward than she was back, but it seemed like she was relaxing at least a bit. And that's what Diana wanted more than anything; for Akko to relax with her. The girl was kind and funny, but she seemed to be having trouble adjusting to Luna Nova as she hadn't let her guard down since they met. If Diana could at least help her to be comfortable in her presence then she would settle for now.

 

“Oh, no reason,” Akko answered cheerily as she swayed side to side ever so slightly. “So is your quirk the same as Beatrix’s? That’s how hero families decide their successors, right?”

 

“Not exactly. While it is true that legacy families determine their successors by quirk similarities, the old families are different in some ways.” Diana let go of the reins with one hand, moving it to wrap around the front of Akko’s stomach. An action that Akko didn’t seem to mind as she waited for Diana to continue.

 

“The families of the Old Nine have been around for so long that it’s nearly impossible for any of the descendants to have quirks exactly like their progenitors. As this is the case universally, the next head of the family is chosen from among the offspring of the current head who posses a quirk that has the same base ability as their founding hero.”

 

“The same base ability?”

 

“That’s right. Since quirks evolve and change over time, it’s not possible for us to have the same exact quirk as our ancestors. That being said, it’s possible that we can still have an evolved version of the same quirk. In fact, the Old Nine Heroes had genetically dominant quirks for the most part. Over the years many different quirks have been mixed in and added through quirk marriages, my own is such a hodgepodge of abilities that not even I’m fully aware of all it’s different aspects, but as long as a child displays the same basic abilities then they are chosen as the next head.”

 

“Hmmm…. What will you do if none of your kids have a quirk close enough?”

 

“I’d just have to keep having kids then,” An idea that did not sit well with Diana whatsoever, “it’s the same situation that the Woodward family has run into in the past. Since their quirk is non-dominant they’ve had trouble with it taking several attempts to appear and have had several side branches appear as a consequence. Though, luckily, the Cavendish quirk is far more… unconventional, in its abilities. It doesn’t have as much of a defined set of rules and restrictions as other quirks, so it’s far more flexible in terms of its genetic adaptability.”

 

“Cool, well….” Akko tensed just slightly, It was barely even noticeable but the action was still there, like she was considering something. But she quickly steeled herself as she seemingly made a decision, “Well I hope you find a good husband just in case.” 

 

Diana didn’t even have time to think before a laugh escaped her lips on impulse. A reaction that seemed to spook Akko initially. Something that she noticed and attempted to reconcile once her laughter died down a bit. “I’m sorry Akko, but you must understand; I have no interest in finding a husband. Or men for that matter.”

 

 A small blush crept across Akko’s cheeks as she stammered out her response. “S-so you’re…”

 

“Gay? Yes, Atsuko. I am, in fact, a lesbian….” Diana let just a beat go by before continuing, she had decided well before that she would be upfront about herself with Akko. If their interest didn’t align then she would attempt to salvage at least a friendship -she wouldn’t force Akko into a relationship but the girl was so intriguing that she couldn’t help but wish to at least keep her acquaintance- of coarse before anything else could happen there was still a serious question that must be answered, “Does that bother you?”

 

“N-no not at all!” Akko shifted uncomfortably in the saddle as she spoke. “I’m just not used to people being so… open-minded, with that kind of stuff.”

 

Diana gave a slight nod of confirmation, adding a small hum to urge Akko to continue. 

 

After a few moments of silence, Akko spoke again. “Is it really like this all over Europe?”

 

“Like what?” Diana believed she had somewhat of an idea of what would come next, but she asked simply so that Akko would continue.

 

“So… accepting…. I had heard that most places outside of Japan were, but it’s just so… unbelievable.” Akko worried her lip as a frown overtook the smile that had made Diana’s heart flutter not a moment earlier. That was something Diana couldn’t allow.

 

“Yes, Akko.” Diana spoke softly, “You’re allowed to be whoever you are here. No one will judge you for what makes you, you.” There was a beat of silence as reached over with the hand that had been holding her by the stomach and took Akko’s hand offering a gentle squeeze.

 

“It didn’t used to be that bad in Japan, at least not like it is now. And not like it has been since the war…” Akko trailed off as she slipped her fingers in between Diana’s own, intertwining them together. She continued staring out into nothingness as she spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper. “We didn’t always have to hide ourselves….”

 

Diana knew what Akko was talking about, almost everyone one did really, it was history 101. Back during the beginning of the war countries like Japan and Russia saw a massive uprising of support for progressive acceptance towards people of all walks of life. It had started because there was an influx of war heroes who happened to be gay, trans, nonbinary, asexual, and of any other gender or sexual inclination that may exist. They, along with the already prevalent straight heroes, fought alongside each other. They brought great accomplishments to Japan and other countries like it. That was how it started, and for a long while, Japan was one of the most progressive countries in the world. People of all gender and sexual orientation would travel there just to live in peace.

 

But then the war began to decline, and China got desperate…. They were on the losing end of the war they had started and most of their allied countries had either been occupied or had withdrawn from the war. In a moment of desperation, they resorted to a man who never should have been trusted. An American named Jeremiah Royann, who had been wanted in the states for several accounts of human rights violations and unethical experimentation. They brought him in, gave him all the resources he could want and told him to build them the greatest weapon they had ever seen…. And instead, he built the world's greatest abomination.

 

With the help of a Chinese scientist, that he would later become his wife, he created the world’s first quirk bomb. A truly hideous design; it would somehow overload a person’s quirk factor, forcing them to produce far more energy than the human body could withstand. Anyone who wasn’t killed in the initial blast would combust within two hours. Every person exposed to the fall out became a small bomb themselves, exploding with an effect similar to their quirks. It wasn’t the world’s most destructive bomb, but it was by far the most horrific weapon ever created in terms of the effects it has on the human body. Diana didn’t understand exactly how it worked -no one did anymore- but the bombs were strong enough to wipe out half a city and leave the rest a hellscape of twisted and mangled corpses.

 

And when his wicked works were finished, they unleashed them upon the world. They sent one bomb to each major country they could manage to slip one into, a feat which wasn’t so difficult considering they would hide the bombs inside their people. These living bombs would walk to the center of whatever city they had been sent to, exploding right in the middle of the largest cities in the world. America, Russia, Japan, Scotland, England, Austria, and even Egypt. All were hit, but of them all, Japan suffered the most by far.

 

With such a small territory housing so many people within close proximity, Japan saw the highest death toll by far. Something that would prove disastrous considering they had just recently reached a point where their citizens were reproducing enough to replace the current population. In the years that followed all the progression that had been made towards acceptance had degraded even further than before the war.

 

Japan was desperate to recover it’s population, as a consequence their whole society shifted once the war ended. It became mandatory that every legal citizen have at least one child by the time they turned twenty-two, and three by the time they turn thirty-five, regardless of marital status. Anyone who didn’t produce a child by their twenty-second birthday was fined and faced a prison sentence of five years. If you didn’t produce three by your thirty-fifth birthday, you were arrested and oftentimes forced to have a child. Their methods were archaic and cruel. If you weren’t able to produce a child or even worse, refused to, then you were publicly shamed and often disowned along with the fine and prison sentence. These laws were horrid, unethical, and disgusting.

 

Along with these new laws came all the old hatred and bigotry that circled around Japan. Ideas and mindsets that had long since become the minority spiked towards the forefront of the Japanese social structure.

 

Of course, these laws had been abolished once the population reached a semblance of stability, but the damage had been done. Being anything other than straight in Japan was now seen as the most disrespectful, dishonorable, reprehensible thing imaginable. To them, it was worse than murder. 

 

Of course, there wasn’t much that could be done about that. At least not without an incredibly lengthy period of time and many, many social upheavals. Perhaps one day it would be possible… but that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was the girl in Diana’s arms and the assurance she might need. 

 

Diana gave Akko’s captured hand another reassuring squeeze, mustering the most assured voice she could manage to speak. “It’s okay. No one has to hide here…. You can be whoever you are.”

 

Akko’s muscles relaxed at the sound of Diana’s voice, and her reluctance caved at Diana’s words. Without any prompting she relaxed fully against Diana, letting the tension visibly exit her muscles as she breathed out her response. A simple and short, “Thank you….”

 

* * *

 

**Luna Nova Personality Profiles: Sucy Manbavaran**

 

**Team: Red**

**Nationality: F **ilipino****

**Height: 5’11”  
**

**Weight: 57kg**

 

**Hair color: Mauve**

 

**Eye color: Red**

 

**Hero Name: Death Cap**

 

 **Costume:** **Comissioned by Headmistress Holbrooke, her costume was designed by London's Heroes. It consists mainly of a large black cloak and a mushroom-esqu witch's hat. The cloak seems to constantly move regardless of wind source or a lack thereof, constantly shifting and folding over itself in a way that makes it difficult to locate the precise position of her body within the cloak at any given time.**

 

 **Quirk:** **Alchemy**

 

**Effects: Can absorb the effects of different substances through touch. She is able to then release these effects as either a gas or liquid. Her quirk works with the help of a pale white membrane that covers her epidermis. If broken the membrane can heal itself quickly. If a piece of the broken membrane is planted in the ground than mushrooms will begin to grow from the surrounding area, expelling the effects she had been using at the time the membrane was broken.  
**

 

**Relationships:**

**Headmistress Holbrooke - Acquaintance**

**Atsuko Kagari - Friend**

**Lotte Jansson - Friend**

 

**Companions: None**

 

**Likes: Mushrooms, Coffee, Tea, Llamas**

 

**Dislikes: Sugar, Dogs?, Pop music, Any form of physical exercise**

 

**Background: Information Unavailable**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy the chapter? How has my world-building been so far? Are Akko and Diana's interactions enjoyable? Tell me what you thought in the comments below. 
> 
> I'm almost certain that I had more to say but I fear that I'm far too tired to figure it out at the moment if I remember than I'll put it in the notes of the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, if so then tell me in the comments below. Or tell me what you didn't like. All comments are welcome. 
> 
> I hope you have a wonderful day!

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you thought of the prologue! You don't have to leave Kudos or anything but a comment would be appreciated. I can't promise to respond to them, because I'm awkward don't function very well during interactions with strangers, but I will see them so thank you in advance. Also, can you tell that I didn't have anyone else proofread it? Probably. I'll go back and fix it later.


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